Israel boycott again on agenda in UK
A British academic trade union responsible for continual calls to ostracize Israeli academia is again set to consider a boycott call and alignment with the “boycott, divestment, sanctions” campaign at its annual conference in Manchester next month.
The University College Union, Britain’s largest academic trade union, will consider three motions concerning the Israel boycott during its national conference at the end of May. A motion that castigates the UCU’s decision to invite a South African trade unionist charged with inciting hatred against the Jewish community will also be discussed.
In December, the UCU invited Bongani Masuku, international secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), to a forum to discuss the “boycott, divestment, sanctions” campaign against Israel.
In the weeks prior to his invitation, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) found Masuku guilty of using inflammatory, threatening and insulting statements against the South African Jewish community after he issued threats against Jewish businesses and supporters of Israel and pronouncements declaring that Jews who support Israel must leave the country.