The Palestine exception to academic freedom "Intertwined stories from the Frontlines of UK-based Palestine Activism"

Abstract

Although we only later came to realize its significance in our lives, and for Palestine advocacy generally, February 2017 turned out to be a watershed month for those of us on the frontlines of the Palestine advocacy movement in the UK. That month, amid a wave of cancellations of events critical of Israel, we were attacked in the media, smeared as antisemitic, and simultaneously supported and censored by our universities. The following month was marked by unprecedented censorship of Israel-critical events across the UK. As we have since learned, these events were linked to the UK governments adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.