NATFHE supports boycott

The National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) passed the following motion today

Conference notes continuing Israeli apartheid policies, including construction of the exclusion wall, and discriminatory educational practices. It recalls its motion of solidarity last year for the AUT resolution to exercise moral and professional responsibility.

Conference instructs the NEC to facilitate meetings in each university and college, and to circulate information to Branches, offering to fund the speakers' travel costs.

Conference invites members to consider their own responsibility for ensuring equity and non-discrimination in contacts with Israeli educational institutions or individuals and to consider the appropriateness of a boycott of those that do not publicly dissociate themselves from such policies.

Needless to say, Engage aren't exactly cock-a-hoop about this.

The first two paragraphs were passed overwhelmingly. The last paragraph was passed with 106 votes in favour, 71 votes against and 21 abstentions.

This motion was passed without a democratic discussion of the university and college teachers that Natfhe represents. It was passed by a small number of Natfhe activists.

This is a political victory for supporters of a blacklist against Israeli academics.

Natfhe will cease to exist on Wednesday when it merges with AUT and the Natfhe leadership stated that the blacklisting policy will not bind the new University and College Union.

UCU must state clearly on Wednesday that this policy does not have any standing in the new union.

AUT members, following debates in the colleges and at Council overwhelmingly rejected the boycott last year.

I wonder how many of the delegates read the Engage site. I wrote before that I hoped they would read it because I'm sure it would push people into the pro-boycott camp to be exposed to some of Engage's antics.