College blames Zoabi for her own attack
Last night's conference at the Ramat Gan College/Photo: Haneen Zoabi Facebook
MK
Haneen Zoabi (United Arab List) was physically and verbally attacked
Tuesday during an appearance on a panel at the Ramat Gan College of Law.
Although head of the far-right Jewish Power faction had promised
earlier that day to do everything to ensure Zoabi wouldn't speak, the
college spokesperson blamed Zoabi, as well as the attacker, for acting
to ruin the student-organised conference.
The
Israeli press reports that a 28-year-old activist with the far right
Jewish Power party walked up to Zoabi while she was on stage at the
conference and threw juice on her. Israeli police report that Zoabi was
rushed off the stage and left the event immediately after the incident.
Baruch
Marzel, head of the Jewish Power faction which is standing in the
elections with the Yahad party, noted on his Facebook page that “as I
told you this morning, I will do everything so she doesn't speak – and
this indeed happened. Dear Jewish Power activists, together with
students for whom the sanity of the state of Israel is dear to them,
broke up the conference and Haneen Zoabi was forcibly removed by
security forces from the stage. Vote for Jewish Power – because we must
erase her (Zoabi) smile.”
Despite
this explicit statement, the spokesperson of the Ramat Gan College of
Law and Business told the Israeli press that “this is an intentional and
ugly provocation of (Baruch Marzel) activists and the people of Haneen
Zoabi, who tried to ruin the conference”.
Ayman
Odeh, head of the United Arab List, stated that “the current election
campaign continues the wave of racism, exclusion and violence that
characterised the rule of the last government. It is sad to see that
even in academic institutions there no longer exists a possibility to
conduct an open discussion and present a range of ideas. The source of
this violence against MK Haneen Zoabi and her team is harsh and
dangerous statements of elected officials who instead of acting
responsibly, they increase hatred and anger in an attempt to get votes
at the polls.”
“I
am not provocative,” MK Zoabi told the AIC last month.“Reality is
provocative, not me. And Palestinians are invisible in Israel, such that
just seeing me in the Knesset, the most Zionist of institutions, is too
much for many. Yes, this is how bad our situation is in Israel.”
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