Wendy Kahn, national director of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies writes:
I was disappointed to read your report on the outcome of the disciplinary hearings against eleven students who disrupted a function at Wits University last year (‘Wits shock ruling’, 31 January).
The report based itself entirely on the one-sided and grossly misleading statement condemning the Wits ruling that was issued by the SA Students’ Congress. No attempt was made to balance the report by referring to the actual findings of the Wits decision.
As a result, it fostered the entirely false perception that the students concerned were punished merely for exercising their democratic right to protest. The facts, however, tell an entirely different story.
Far from being disciplined simply for protesting, the eleven students were called to account for having blatantly violated the right to freedom of expression of others. On 12 March 2013, they were the ringleaders in the disruption by anti-Israel protesters of a concert being given on Wits campus by the Israeli-born pianist Yossi Reshef.
The concert had to be abandoned after dozens of protesters forced their way into the venue and refused to leave, all the while raising non-stop clamour through chanting, shouting slogans, blowing vuvuzelas and other aggressive acts of disruption.
In addition, those attending the recital were subjected to threats, abuse and physical intimidation (including shoving and having their way blocked) as they were entering the venue. It was reported by the Wits campus reporter covering the event that one of the things being chanted by the demonstrators was “Shoot the whites”.
When a follow-up concert by Israeli musicians was held on the campus later in the year, this chant had changed to “Shoot the Jew”. To its credit, the Wits leadership immediately and unequivocally distanced the university from these actions.
Then vice-chancellor Loyiso Nongxa summed up the university’s position when he said, “The university emphasises that it is not only the rights of Mr Reshef that were violated. The university’s focus on the issue pertains also to the violation of the rights of the concert-goers, patrons and guests, among whom were members of the Wits community.”
