I’ve signed the letter. Free speech is critically important to universities, but free speech doesn’t include the right to harass others or to interfere with the business of the university. Universities must not give in to demands of protesters who violate campus policies with their protests by blocking areas or harassing members of the campus community, since doing so only creates more incentive to disrupt the university.
Signed. I believe you are spot on. Protests, as such, are counter to the basic purpose of academic institutions - learning and teaching, research and truth seeking. One should discuss and debate, one should be able to get the facts straight, but the protests... That's not what they are about.
It has been made clear to us that taking this position- or showing any attitude other than full-throated support of the antisemitic wave sweeping academia- is professional suicide for those of us who are not yet tenured.
That said, our university has done marvelously, the protests have been muted and our commencement was not interrupted.
Thank you! Not a professor but a concerned parent. I saw this reposted by a professor as a list of pro genocide professors. The comments were unbelievable. We all appreciate your effort.
They are neo-marxists. They are giving a good go at destroying the University system and anyone who believes in it. Life at Universities is unbearable for all those who do not agree unless they say nothing. I know this... because I was once part of it. Not in an extreme way, but in a casual way. It is endemic. So, you are right to be concerned. I would heavily advise against sending children to a top University into the humanities unless they are able to demonstrate tolerance for diversity of opinion.
It would be well to remember two common aphorisms at this point:
(1) "By any means necessary"
This is the rallying call of the Left, of the woke. Some think it is just a cute phrase, and the people chanting this phrase do not really mean it. Perhaps this is true of some of their fellow travelers. However, the hardcore elements are obviously prepared to do ANYTHING to get their way, including murder and rape and arson and theft. They have repeatedly shown a willingness and even an eagerness to burn Western Civilization to the ground. These sorts of statements should be viewed as serious warnings, not as some rhetorical flourishes.
(2) "By their fruits you shall know them."
Just look at what the self-styled "progressives" and "critical social justice warriors" stand for and have done already. How many billions or even trillions of dollars of damage? How many deaths? How many rapes? These movements are real, they are not just "ideas", and they have done real harm. If we allow them to continue, they will do far, far worse. Is there any doubt of this?
On Substack, there are representatives of this destructive radical movement. They more or less "hide in plain" sight and seem to always be in high dudgeon about something or other. However, numerous people on Substack that I am contact with have already been cowed into silence by a sequence of irrational death threats and legal threats and other threats by these characters.
Sure, it might seem innocuous to purportedly "stand up for the rights of the innocent Gazans". But if one looks deeper, one realizes that many of these individuals are paid provocateurs. They do not care for Gazans or Muslims or Palestinians. It just represents a convenient issue of the moment and a vehicle to sow chaos. They support the tenets of al Qaeda and ISIS and other Islamist and terrorist organizations.
These are the same people who called for, and continue to call for, the wholesale slaughter of the US judiciary and the defunding of US law enforcement. They have repeatedly called for the harassment of conservatives or elected representatives who dare to appear in public, or even show up to family gatherings. They have repeatedly demanded the creation of mass reeducation or even concentration camps for conservatives. They advocate and support attacks on whites and Jews and "white-adjacents" and capitalists and Christians including Catholics, among others. They are also frantic to undermine and destroy STEM, and logic and reason and truth and evidence. So that is why one can discover them in action here on Substack, among other venues.
One can also observe them almost universally mocking those who post to Substack anonymously. That is because they want to intimidate and 'dox' and otherwise target and threaten those who they view as their adversaries. They feel immune to any consequences, so they are brazen and emboldened. They believe they can make outrageous statements and issue threats with impunity.
We would also do well to take these people seriously.
Protest encampments have been a recurrent feature of uni life since at least the 1980s, but suddenly now it is urgent to stop them? Spin it as you wish but this is obviously about shutting down criticism of Israel.
Wrong. I'm an Earth Scientist and I generally oppose protest encampments about climate change, for example. These current protest encampments would draw less criticism from me if they addressed the concerns in my letter - disavowing violence against civilians for example. I spoke to Camp leaders just yesterday. They explicitly refused to do so. They also explicitly endorsed physical destruction of 'the entire University', if needed to secure goals. My concern is for the academic freedom and safety of students, staff, and the University itself.
You wrote in this comment, "These current protest encampments would draw less criticism from me if they addressed the concerns in my letter - disavowing violence against civilians for example." I scanned the Open Letter and this HeterodoxSTEM essay for something that could be construed as opposing violence against civilians, but couldn't find it. Maybe it's there? Help? I agree with that principle, but also you're either moving the goal posts or haven't expressed yourself clearly and consistently. Those criticisms can be applied to many protesters too, but they doesn't justify eliminating their expression nor yours. It's just an implicit suggestion to say what you mean and mean what you say.
Cambridge. The on shift representative of the camp. They did not wish to give their name. Nobody in the camp said anything against the statements, though I will say that the representative wanted to be both a rep and speak only for themselves. But, the plan of minimum necessary disruption to achieve goals seems to be in action, since they have now moved to stop the graduations. I hear today that the University has folded into negotiation. I just hope this does not mean we see this type of thing very regularly. The minority cannot simply rule the majority, even though I actually agree with the protestors on many things. As I say, if the camps disavowed all violence against civilians, explicitly welcomed Israeli's, and promised no physical damage to my place of work and home (I literally live in College), I would have felt no real inclination to write the letter.
So you are a professor at Cambridge University and you attest that a protest camp organizer advocated violence against civilians AND the physical destruction of Cambridge University? I recommend you contact news outlets I am sure they will be eager to follow up on this. I can’t think why you have not done so already.
Please make some covert recordings if you can. If you can get them to repeat similar statements, this would be invaluable. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
In the US, these sorts of protests and encampments go back to at least the 1960s, or even earlier. However, this current round of encampments is different in numerous respects:
(1) There is a much higher fraction of paid nonstudent professional agitators in these protests and encampments now. There are open advertisements on the internet and elsewhere recruiting people to paid protesting positions now.
(2) Previous protests were not directed against fellow students. Sure, some faculty and administrators might have been in the cross-hairs before, and a few ROTC types were targeted before, but this current round is very different in that regard.
(3) Previous protests did not call for a global genocide of certain ethnic groups.
(4) Previous protests were not easily traceable to outside billionaires with anti-semitic or globalist agendas.
(5) Previous protests did not consist of a large number of foreigners on visas, or in the country illegally.
(6) Previous protests did not have the appearance of being coordinated and lavishly catered, full of pampered rich elitist snobs attempting to demonstrate their "radical" or "victimhood" status or credentials (leaving aside examples like Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, who are violent upper class felons, who escaped consequences of their murderous actions because of family money and political connections).
(7) Previous protests did not have the implicit or explicit endorsement of current and previous powerful political figures. After all, Barack Obama's stated previous profession was "community organizer". What do you think a community organizer is, and what do they do?
Yesterday, at my request, Dorian removed the defamatory and threatening comments addressed at me by a pseudonymous person, but in his expediency, he also chose to delete my comment which was not defamatory nor threatening but was the only comment (of a dozen) that analyzed the post and its associated Open Letter. By deleting my comment, Dorian enables and encourages an echo chamber in which such toxic pseudonymous replies discourage "open, rational, evidence-based discussions and intellectual exchanges, even on difficult topics."
Hi C. R. - You Tweeted the following yesterday, referring to someone else (on TwitterX), but I read it with some irony, given that Dorian deleted my comment, and your reply was only about the change in the name.
You wrote: "He claimed I was demanding some sort of fascist level of "obedience". But what happens when someone gently criticises him? He shuts that riiiiight down. People like this are the true authoritarians." https://x.com/lithologuy/status/1790637606142619713
If you'd like to engage with me on the issues I raised, especially the 'safety-valve theory' then please do, either here or privately. The risk of doing so here is that there now is a history of Dorian deleting comments, even ones that are written in good faith and don't come close to violating the specified terms of engagement. Of course there's also the risk of being personally maligned or threatened, but that's minuscule here compared to TwitterX.
Please send copies to every media outlet possible! Here's a link to my list of Canadian publications: https://ontheground.net/about/newspapers
I’ve signed the letter. Free speech is critically important to universities, but free speech doesn’t include the right to harass others or to interfere with the business of the university. Universities must not give in to demands of protesters who violate campus policies with their protests by blocking areas or harassing members of the campus community, since doing so only creates more incentive to disrupt the university.
"he/she/it doth" -- "I/ye/we/they do" -- "thou dost". Wrong conjugation in the title. 🧐
damn it. oh well haha
Thank you for the opportunity to sign this letter.
This is a great letter. And it is about time that such a statement was issued and signed by as many as possible.
We have to say "no", as loudly and forcefully as we can, to these forces of darkness.
Cheers!
Signed. I believe you are spot on. Protests, as such, are counter to the basic purpose of academic institutions - learning and teaching, research and truth seeking. One should discuss and debate, one should be able to get the facts straight, but the protests... That's not what they are about.
It has been made clear to us that taking this position- or showing any attitude other than full-throated support of the antisemitic wave sweeping academia- is professional suicide for those of us who are not yet tenured.
That said, our university has done marvelously, the protests have been muted and our commencement was not interrupted.
Thank you! Not a professor but a concerned parent. I saw this reposted by a professor as a list of pro genocide professors. The comments were unbelievable. We all appreciate your effort.
They are neo-marxists. They are giving a good go at destroying the University system and anyone who believes in it. Life at Universities is unbearable for all those who do not agree unless they say nothing. I know this... because I was once part of it. Not in an extreme way, but in a casual way. It is endemic. So, you are right to be concerned. I would heavily advise against sending children to a top University into the humanities unless they are able to demonstrate tolerance for diversity of opinion.
Too late but trying to fight it on all fronts!
It would be well to remember two common aphorisms at this point:
(1) "By any means necessary"
This is the rallying call of the Left, of the woke. Some think it is just a cute phrase, and the people chanting this phrase do not really mean it. Perhaps this is true of some of their fellow travelers. However, the hardcore elements are obviously prepared to do ANYTHING to get their way, including murder and rape and arson and theft. They have repeatedly shown a willingness and even an eagerness to burn Western Civilization to the ground. These sorts of statements should be viewed as serious warnings, not as some rhetorical flourishes.
(2) "By their fruits you shall know them."
Just look at what the self-styled "progressives" and "critical social justice warriors" stand for and have done already. How many billions or even trillions of dollars of damage? How many deaths? How many rapes? These movements are real, they are not just "ideas", and they have done real harm. If we allow them to continue, they will do far, far worse. Is there any doubt of this?
On Substack, there are representatives of this destructive radical movement. They more or less "hide in plain" sight and seem to always be in high dudgeon about something or other. However, numerous people on Substack that I am contact with have already been cowed into silence by a sequence of irrational death threats and legal threats and other threats by these characters.
Sure, it might seem innocuous to purportedly "stand up for the rights of the innocent Gazans". But if one looks deeper, one realizes that many of these individuals are paid provocateurs. They do not care for Gazans or Muslims or Palestinians. It just represents a convenient issue of the moment and a vehicle to sow chaos. They support the tenets of al Qaeda and ISIS and other Islamist and terrorist organizations.
These are the same people who called for, and continue to call for, the wholesale slaughter of the US judiciary and the defunding of US law enforcement. They have repeatedly called for the harassment of conservatives or elected representatives who dare to appear in public, or even show up to family gatherings. They have repeatedly demanded the creation of mass reeducation or even concentration camps for conservatives. They advocate and support attacks on whites and Jews and "white-adjacents" and capitalists and Christians including Catholics, among others. They are also frantic to undermine and destroy STEM, and logic and reason and truth and evidence. So that is why one can discover them in action here on Substack, among other venues.
One can also observe them almost universally mocking those who post to Substack anonymously. That is because they want to intimidate and 'dox' and otherwise target and threaten those who they view as their adversaries. They feel immune to any consequences, so they are brazen and emboldened. They believe they can make outrageous statements and issue threats with impunity.
We would also do well to take these people seriously.
Protest encampments have been a recurrent feature of uni life since at least the 1980s, but suddenly now it is urgent to stop them? Spin it as you wish but this is obviously about shutting down criticism of Israel.
Wrong. I'm an Earth Scientist and I generally oppose protest encampments about climate change, for example. These current protest encampments would draw less criticism from me if they addressed the concerns in my letter - disavowing violence against civilians for example. I spoke to Camp leaders just yesterday. They explicitly refused to do so. They also explicitly endorsed physical destruction of 'the entire University', if needed to secure goals. My concern is for the academic freedom and safety of students, staff, and the University itself.
You wrote in this comment, "These current protest encampments would draw less criticism from me if they addressed the concerns in my letter - disavowing violence against civilians for example." I scanned the Open Letter and this HeterodoxSTEM essay for something that could be construed as opposing violence against civilians, but couldn't find it. Maybe it's there? Help? I agree with that principle, but also you're either moving the goal posts or haven't expressed yourself clearly and consistently. Those criticisms can be applied to many protesters too, but they doesn't justify eliminating their expression nor yours. It's just an implicit suggestion to say what you mean and mean what you say.
On what campus did you have this conversation, with whom exactly?
Cambridge. The on shift representative of the camp. They did not wish to give their name. Nobody in the camp said anything against the statements, though I will say that the representative wanted to be both a rep and speak only for themselves. But, the plan of minimum necessary disruption to achieve goals seems to be in action, since they have now moved to stop the graduations. I hear today that the University has folded into negotiation. I just hope this does not mean we see this type of thing very regularly. The minority cannot simply rule the majority, even though I actually agree with the protestors on many things. As I say, if the camps disavowed all violence against civilians, explicitly welcomed Israeli's, and promised no physical damage to my place of work and home (I literally live in College), I would have felt no real inclination to write the letter.
So you are a professor at Cambridge University and you attest that a protest camp organizer advocated violence against civilians AND the physical destruction of Cambridge University? I recommend you contact news outlets I am sure they will be eager to follow up on this. I can’t think why you have not done so already.
Well it happened yesterday afternoon. I have no video proof or anything. I am considering doing that.
Please make some covert recordings if you can. If you can get them to repeat similar statements, this would be invaluable. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
In the US, these sorts of protests and encampments go back to at least the 1960s, or even earlier. However, this current round of encampments is different in numerous respects:
(1) There is a much higher fraction of paid nonstudent professional agitators in these protests and encampments now. There are open advertisements on the internet and elsewhere recruiting people to paid protesting positions now.
(2) Previous protests were not directed against fellow students. Sure, some faculty and administrators might have been in the cross-hairs before, and a few ROTC types were targeted before, but this current round is very different in that regard.
(3) Previous protests did not call for a global genocide of certain ethnic groups.
(4) Previous protests were not easily traceable to outside billionaires with anti-semitic or globalist agendas.
(5) Previous protests did not consist of a large number of foreigners on visas, or in the country illegally.
(6) Previous protests did not have the appearance of being coordinated and lavishly catered, full of pampered rich elitist snobs attempting to demonstrate their "radical" or "victimhood" status or credentials (leaving aside examples like Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, who are violent upper class felons, who escaped consequences of their murderous actions because of family money and political connections).
(7) Previous protests did not have the implicit or explicit endorsement of current and previous powerful political figures. After all, Barack Obama's stated previous profession was "community organizer". What do you think a community organizer is, and what do they do?
Yesterday, at my request, Dorian removed the defamatory and threatening comments addressed at me by a pseudonymous person, but in his expediency, he also chose to delete my comment which was not defamatory nor threatening but was the only comment (of a dozen) that analyzed the post and its associated Open Letter. By deleting my comment, Dorian enables and encourages an echo chamber in which such toxic pseudonymous replies discourage "open, rational, evidence-based discussions and intellectual exchanges, even on difficult topics."
The author of the post also changed from "Dr. C. R. Walton" to https://substack.com/@dawnstrata.
i'm brand new to substack. i just fancied a different and more interesting name
Yes, you must be condemned for that! The Gods of Wokeness have spoken!
Hi C. R. - You Tweeted the following yesterday, referring to someone else (on TwitterX), but I read it with some irony, given that Dorian deleted my comment, and your reply was only about the change in the name.
You wrote: "He claimed I was demanding some sort of fascist level of "obedience". But what happens when someone gently criticises him? He shuts that riiiiight down. People like this are the true authoritarians." https://x.com/lithologuy/status/1790637606142619713
If you'd like to engage with me on the issues I raised, especially the 'safety-valve theory' then please do, either here or privately. The risk of doing so here is that there now is a history of Dorian deleting comments, even ones that are written in good faith and don't come close to violating the specified terms of engagement. Of course there's also the risk of being personally maligned or threatened, but that's minuscule here compared to TwitterX.