South African University Student Council Wants to Expel Jews

In the country that abolished its apartheid racial segregation policy 20 years ago, South African students called for Jews to be expelled from Durban University of Technology, a demand a top official at the university called “outrageous” and “a deep violation of … every human rights principle.”

Durban University of Technology Vice Chancellor and Principal Ahmed Bawa said in a letter to the campus community that he had received a memo on Tuesday from the Students Representative Council and the Progressive Youth Alliance with a list of grievances including financial aid, student housing — and the presence of Jewish students. Bawa wrote:

One of the demands on the memorandum was deregistration of Jewish students at DUT, to which my response was that this was outrageous, preposterous and a deep violation of our National Constitution and every human rights principle.

No student at DUT will be discriminated against on the basis of religion, race, gender, political affiliation or sexual orientation.

Student council secretary Mqondisi Duma told the South African Daily News that the council “had a meeting and analyzed international politics. We took the decision that Jewish students, especially those who do not support the Palestinian struggle, should deregister.”

National Chairman of the South African Union of Jewish Students Natan Pollack called the proposal “deplorable.”

“To discriminate against people because of their religious and political standpoint goes against freedom of speech,” Pollack said.

(H/T: Times of Israel)

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