Blackballed by the Belfast Festival: pro-Israel scholar Professor Geoffrey Alderman

“He’s a Zionist – get him out of here!” A hiss of that sort, presumably, was the reason that a distinguished British historian had his invitation to speak at this year’s Belfast Festival removed – and at the eleventh hour! A case, no less, of belated blackballing and suppression of free speech  (hat tip: Jonathan Hoffman, over at Thejc.com blogs) that can best be described as shameful and squalid.

The Queen’s University of Belfast hosts the Belfast Festival, which last year, if I'm not mistaken,  featured Noam Chomsky as a speaker. In the lead-up to this year’s event, the university’s pro-vice-chancellor noted with pleasure that “The content and subjects [to be] portrayed address topics such as the feminism, teenage life and the war on terror. There is hard hitting drama, invigorating music, spectacular dance and a series of exquisite talks and tours. The Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen’s truly has something for everybody.”

One of the speakers who were lined up to participate at the event is Professor Geoffrey Alderman, who has had an illustrious academic career.  The author of a number of pioneering works on the evolution of the Anglo-Jewish community, he is a regular columnist – pungent and pugnacious – in Britain’s leading Jewish newspaper, the Jewish Chronicle.

On 20 September this year Professor Alderman received an email from Graeme Farrow, Director of the Belfast Festival, inviting him to join a panel convened to discuss “Conflict in the Middle East”, and due to take place on the evening of Monday, 18 October – last evening, in fact. “I would be delighted if you would join our panel”, wrote Mr Farrow, and Professor Alderman was pleased to accept the invitation.

Imagine the professor’s bewilderment when, on the afternoon of Friday, 15 October 2010, he received a message rescinding the invitation. In his own words, as quoted by Jonathan Hoffman: ‘I was shocked to receive an email from Mr. Farrow informing me that “a mistake” had been made in extending the invitation to me and that although I could join the audience the event was to go ahead without my panel participation. In effect, I was being “disinvited.” In a series of email exchanges with Mr. Farrow I refused to accept this situation, and I have made it clear to him that I intend to travel to Belfast ... and shall expect to participate fully as a member of the panel. I am frankly appalled at the way I have been treated, for which I hold Queen’s University, Belfast, responsible.’

As good as his word, Professor Alderman travelled to Belfast yesterday. According to the Jewish Chronicle (18 October), Farrow explained that he had made “a mistake in agreeing to extend an invitation to you Geoffrey without consulting the academics in question”. The paper reported that 'following a meeting with Mr Farrow early this afternoon, Professor Alderman said he had given the organisers three options: to allow him to join the panel and if his fellow-panellists were to object, "they could stay away": to let him to take part while sitting on a separate table: or simply to call off the event.'

But his attempts to reach a modus vivendi were unavailing. The discussion proceeded without him. Significantly, the two panellists who took part – having not been subject to blackballing like Professor Alderman – are two academics not known for their glowing tenderness towards Israel. Baghdad-born Professor Avi Shlaim, Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford, who lived in Israel during his childhood and adolescence, ranks with Ilan Pappe as one of the most active serial defamers of Israel in British academic circles today.  An insight into his attitude may be read here: http://jewishrefugees.blogspot.com/2005/08/inside-mind-of-avi-shlaim

The other panellist, Professor Beverley Milton-Edwards, of the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy at Queen's University Belfast, has authored such works as The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: a People's War and, very recently, Hamas: The Islamic Resistance Movement. She helped to found Conflicts Forum, advocates dialogue with Hamas, and on 2 September this year gave an interview on that theme to BBC Radio with not a hint of Hamas’s antisemitic Charter. In fact, Hamas almost came across as “Mother Theresa”, to invoke the words of that wonderful Latma song, “We Con the World”! For more about Professor Milton-Edwards see http://www.melaniephillips.com/diary/?p=1555

Blogged Jonathan Hoffman last evening: "Professor Alderman is now sitting in the hotel in Belfast while the meeting proceeds at the University. He was unable to negotiate his presence on the Panel and unable to get the meeting cancelled in view of the disgusting violation of free speech. Please protest now about this outrage to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Peter Gregson: Executive PA: Mrs Fionnuala Newton - (0)28 9097 5134; Secretary Mrs Monica Salomeia (0)28 9097 3131
E-mail: vc.office@qub.ac.uk "