17th April 2017 Dear Camden councillor Calling for free speech on Palestine (the right to speak out against racism) I apologise for the length of this letter which tells our story as well as making a point. We are calling on you to protect the important right to free speech on human rights in Palestine. This has already been attacked in Camden when our International Women’s Day event due to be held at Kentish Town Community Centre on March 5th was unfairly cancelled, and there is a serious threat of further denials of free speech through the adoption of definitions of anti-semitism which go beyond issues of racism and allow scope to people with a political axe to grind. Our organisation is a charity based in Camden, working for human rights and respect for international humanitarian law in relation to Palestine. We are fairly well-known across Camden, having worked with schools, youth clubs, community centres, trade unions and others since the end of 2003. We organise youth exchanges (many of them at the moment funded by the European Union) between here and Palestine; we know the situation there well; we are proud to be inclusive and anti-racist and we work in a calm and honest way with respect for people across the community. We have had good relations with Camden Council over the years and our delegations of visitors from Palestine have often met Mayors and local councillors. We believe that Camden can be proud of the innovative and responsible international work we do, and in particular its contribution to Camden’s young people. (We hope very soon to follow this letter up with another on this subject as we have been encouraged by the recent formal recognition of a relationship between the French city of Nantes and our partner town in Palestine, Abu Dis). Despite this background, we were very shocked in March to have the venue for our well-publicised International Women’s Day suddenly withdrawn by Kentish Town Community Centre (KTCC). We have worked with them for years, and we have a partnership agreement with them. We have run our international women’s day and other events many times previously; these are events full of music, dance, creative activities and they usually include talks about people’s experiences in Palestine, building on the link we have established between Camden and Abu Dis in Palestine over the past fourteen years. When KTCC cancelled our event, we wrote in complaint to the three councillors representing the Kentish Town ward but have so far received no answer from them, unfortunately. We considered then writing a letter to the Leader of the Council, but as the matter we are raising could at any time become relevant in any part of Camden, we have decided to write a letter to all of Camden’s councillors and to make it open to anyone who is interested, because this is not a private matter. The reason that the venue for our event was withdrawn from us was that someone unknown had made a complaint about our guest at the event, Baroness Jenny Tonge, who is a respected member of the House of Lords. Camden Council, to whom the same complaint had been made, asked us to consider whether having Baroness Tonge as a speaker would cause community divisions, as this was the allegation. We did as asked, considered carefully and sent a long email to Camden explaining that we did not think this would be the case. To be clear, the Camden officer who was in touch with us was entirely correct throughout, both in asking us to look at a concern that had been raised and in listening to what we said. She did not ask us to close the event. We were extremely upset with our old friends at KTCC for attempting to pull the plug on the event and for saying that they would do this whether or not Baroness Tonge was going to speak. This was despite the fact that we had been organising the event and selling tickets for some weeks and this was two days before our event, and despite a petition which attracted 250 signatures in just one day. We think this was an outrageous way to treat a partner community organisation and intend to take this up further with them. However, we learned that during the month of March, across Britain, something systematic was happening to events that related to Palestine. It seemed that, in place after place, events of different sorts organised by different organisations were cancelled or (like ours) needed to be rehoused. It sounded as if there was a pattern of some sort of smear being cooked up behind the scenes so those responsible for the venue responded perhaps in ignorance and certainly - like KTCC – in fear, and cancelled the events. This very important issue is not about Baroness Tonge, about KTCC or about ourselves, but about the right to exercise and pursue two important human rights both in Camden and beyond. One of them is the very basis of human rights, which is that they should apply to everyone; this is the battle against racism and discrimination. The second right is that of freedom of speech, the right to express ourselves without persecution from others. This is rightly limited in the case of hate speech but it is a very important right in the battle AGAINST racism and discrimination, and speaking the truth is one of the ways in which the battle for equal rights will be won. Camden as a borough is proud of standing against discrimination both within the borough itself and internationally: for example, Camden acknowledged its particular place in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa by renaming the street that housed the Anti-Apartheid Movement as Mandela Street. Now, what is happening in Palestine can clearly very seriously be compared to apartheid. Black South Africans such as Bishop Desmond Tutu make this comparison as do many other respectable commentators from many places. I believe that recently even Israel’s ex-Prime Minister Ehud Barak has used the term. CADFA’s view on this issue is shown by our petition text below (1). Sight of the raw ethnic discrimination that is practised by the Israeli authorities in Palestine shocks visitors. CADFA visitors have written many reports about it, and it is very well put in an article from the “Irish Times” (2). Looking at the situation on the ground (3), therefore, and to be consistent with Camden’s anti-racist policies, the freedom of speech on Palestine should be maintained, and people telling the truth about the situation should be listened to and a solution sought that is consistent with human rights. The issue I am raising with you on behalf of CADFA, however, is that the water is being muddied intentionally by people with a political agenda. A recent television series by Al Jazeera looks at the interference by the Israeli Embassy in British politics including student politics(4). Something similar is happening in local communities. One of KTCC’s trustees (telling us about the cancellation of our event), referred to “dark forces.” An unfair and hidden pressure is being levelled at decent organisations, undermining free speech and also weakening confidence in our institutions on the part of large sections of mixed communities such as Camden. Smears seem often to use allegations of “anti-semitism” in order to stop debate about Israel’s activities. If anti-semitism is about racism, we stand firmly against it; but we have to reject the use of the term when it is used in a political way. Human rights are enshrined in international law; the actions of Israel in building settlements in the West Bank (for example) are illegal under international law and have as such been condemned our own government; people must be allowed to say this. If Israel is enforcing apartheid, oppressing people and breaking international law, what decent people should do is call for a change. We are asking you to stand by people’s right to speak the truth on Palestine. We would be grateful if you would follow up the issue of the 5th March event with KTCC as their action against us was not acceptable. We ask you to be clear to your officers and community venues that the right to free speech is important to you. And we ask you not to adopt the new use of the term anti-semitism currently being promoted by the government (5), because it appears to give people with a political agenda on Israel/ Palestine the scope to use the term to prevent the exercise of freedom of speech and the right to struggle for equal rights: two important human rights which we hope and believe that Camden holds dear. (1) CADFA’s view can be found in the petition attached here (Visa equality) (2) ‘All that is human in me recoils from this’ – Eimear McBride, Irish Times 15/4/15 (3) If you would like to know more about the situation in Palestine, we are happy to tell you more, show you our books about people’s lives there or include you in one of our visits to Palestine. People of all backgrounds are very welcome. (4) ‘The Lobby’ – a series of four programmes by Al Jazeera (5) IHRA working definition of anti-semitism as discussed in the Guardian, 12/12/2016 CADFA Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association | Linking together for human rights | PO Box 74047, London NW5 9HH |cadfa.org | FB: CADFA (Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association) | Twitter: @camdenabudis | CADFA Education, company number 10687584 | CADFA Charity number 1112717stop debate about Israel’s activities. If anti-semitism is about racism, we stand firmly against it; but we have to reject the use of the term when it is used in a political way. Human rights are enshrined in international law; the actions of Israel in building settlements in the West Bank (for example) are illegal under international law and have as such been condemned our own government; people must be allowed to say this. If Israel is enforcing apartheid, oppressing people and breaking international law, what decent people should do is call for a change. We are asking you to stand by people’s right to speak the truth on Palestine. We would be grateful if you would follow up the issue of the 5th March event with KTCC as their action against us was not acceptable. We ask you to be clear to your officers and community venues that the right to free speech is important to you. And we ask you not to adopt the new use of the term anti-semitism currently being promoted by the government (5), because it appears to give people with a political agenda on Israel/ Palestine the scope to use the term to prevent the exercise of freedom of speech and the right to struggle for equal rights: two important human rights which we hope and believe that Camden holds dear. (1) CADFA’s view can be found here: https://www.change.org/p/tobias-ellwood-make-visa-rules-the… (2) ‘All that is human in me recoils from this’ – Eimear McBride, Irish Times 15/4/15 (3) If you would like to know more about the situation in Palestine, we are happy to tell you more, show you our books about people’s lives there or include you in one of our visits to Palestine. People of all backgrounds are very welcome. (4) ‘The Lobby’ – a series of four programmes by Al Jazeera (5) IHRA working definition of anti-semitism as discussed in the Guardian, 12/12/2016