With a focus on universal human rights and activism, Omar Barghouti — a key member of the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel — received a standing ovation from those in attendance at his guest lecture in Hutchins Hall Friday night.
"The very basis of BDS is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in that, a very basic concept that has been forgotten to an extent: that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights," Barghouti said.
Barghouti, a Palestinian activist and commentator, explained BDS’s mission by focusing on what he said were oppressive Israeli policies, including a lack of access to education for many Palestinians...
...Students Allied for Freedom and Equality sponsored Barghouti’s visit to the University. SAFE collaborated with the Jewish Force for Peace and the Students for Justice in Palestine at University of Michigan, Dearborn to host his lecture.
The lecture followed last month’s controversy over #UMMockEviction, and a month after the American Studies Association and Association for Asian-American Studies endorsed an academic boycott of Israel.
“We are trying to generate some kind of action for the University to divest from companies that profit from Israeli occupation,” said LSA senior Yazan Kherallah, a SAFE member....
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