Prof. Robinson Delivers Speech Addressing His Case

GARDEN GROVE, CALIFORNIA
23 MAY 2009,

THESE ARE THE REMARKS GIVEN BY PROF. WILLIAM I. ROBINSON FOR THE SEVENTH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL AL-AWDA CONVENTION, THE PALESTINE RIGHT TO RETURN COALITION.  IN HIS SPEECH HE ADDRESSES THE CURRENT CASE AGAINST HIM AT UCSB.  YOU CAN WATCH VIDEO EXCERPTS OF THE SPEECH  POSTED AT THE END OF THIS POST.

***

ACADEMIC FREEDOM IS UNDER ATTACK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA.  I AM UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE UNIVERSITY – AND I FACE POSSIBILE SANCTIONS – BECAUSE OF MY VOCAL CONDEMNATION OF THE NEARLY ONE-MONTH LONG ISREALI INVASION OF GAZA THAT BEGAN LAST DECEMBER.

THIS CAMPAIGN AGAINST ACADEMIC FREEDOM IS NOT JUST AN ATTEMPT TO PUNISH ME.  MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT AIMS TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT OF FEAR AND INTIMIDATION IN WHICH ANY CRITICISM ON ISREALI POLICY IS SUBJECT TO SANCTIONS AND CENSORSHIP.

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Faculty members protest investigation of sociology professor

UC-Santa Barbara professors circulate petition to halt proceedings against William I. Robinson and reject “outside pressures”

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Date: May 19, 2009
Contact: cdaf.ucsb@gmail.com.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — A group of about 20 professors at the University of California at Santa Barbara have launched a campus-wide petition to get professors, department chairs and deans to join them in protesting the Academic Senate’s investigation of sociology professor William I. Robinson.

The petition, sent on May 16 to faculty throughout the university, says the Senate Charges Committee has directly violated Robinson’s rights by mishandling student complaints against him.

“These procedural improprieties have already produced a substantive injustice with respect to Professor Robinson,” reads the petition. “Moreover, we are concerned that external pressures may have influenced the way this case is managed.”

BREAKING NEWS: Israel lobby descends on UC- Santa Barbara

Investigation of sociology professor is frontline in nationwide campaign to silence criticism against Israel on college campuses

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May 18, 2009
Contacts:  cdaf.ucsb@gmail.com.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Noam Chomsky is no newcomer to harassment by pro-Israel organizations.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) once compiled a 150-page dossier on the famous author and linguistics professor, apparently to find information it could use against him, Chomsky said in an interview in late April.

An ADL insider sent Chomsky the file, which included conversations, correspondence and other materials. Chomsky said it read like an FBI file.

“It’s hard to nail this stuff down in a court of law, but it’s clear they essentially have spies in classrooms who take notes and send them to the ADL and other organizations,” Chomsky said. “The groups then compile dossiers they can use to condemn, attack or remove faculty members. They’re like J. Edgar Hoover’s files. It’s kind of gutter stuff.”

Academic backlash grows against investigation of sociology professor

American Association of University Professors and other scholarly organizations weigh in on UCSB proceedings

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May 14, 2009
Contacts:  cdaf.ucsb@gmail.com.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The decision by the Academic Senate at the University of California at Santa Barbara to open a formal investigation into “anti-Semitism” charges against sociology professor William I. Robinson has garnered worldwide attention.

Print and broadcast media nationwide have published numerous stories about the issue, and the Associated Press released an article that appeared in most major papers in the U.S. and others countries.

At the same time, scholars and academic organizations worldwide have sent hundreds of letters to UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang and the Academic Senate condemning the investigation as a violation of academic freedom and demanding that it be dropped.

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Pro-Israel lobby steps up pressure at UC-Santa Barbara

Israel advocacy group “Stand With Us” pushes university administrators to investigate sociology professor

May 13, 2009
Contacts:     cdaf.ucsb@gmail.com.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. ­ The international pro-Israel organization “Stand With Us” is spearheading an aggressive public campaign to push administrators and faculty at the University of California at Santa Barbara to investigate sociology professor William I. Robinson for “anti-Semitism.”

The organization has set up a Web site to rally other pro-Israel organizations and individuals to pressure UCSB officials through public statements and letters to the chancellor and the Academic Senate. The group has recruited UCSB donors to write letters, some of which threaten to withdraw support for the university.

The Web site and letter campaign comes on top of direct pressure from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), whose national director, Abraham Foxman, met in March with university officials and faculty to demand that administrators censor Robinson for introducing materials critical of state Israeli policies in a course on global affairs in January.

Updates: New Support Letters and Features

The Global Studies Association, the Middle East Studies Association of North America, Members of the Department of Feminist Studies at UCSB are the latest to join CDAF in supporting academic freedom at UCSB and have urged the university to drop the charges against Prof. William I. Robinson.  You can read their full letters here.

You can now view the letter of the former teaching assistant of Prof. Robinson during the course in question, along with a letter of a student from the class.  We have recieved multiple letters from other students in the class, but we are only posting one to respect their desires for anonymity  Read these letters here.

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