In August, nine student affinity groups and clubs at Berkeley Law School in California pledged not to invite “speakers that have expressed and continued to hold views … in support of Zionism, the apartheid state of Israel, and the occupation of Palestine.”
The statement was sponsored by the group Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine.
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In response to the move, Auburn head basketball coach Bruce Pearl took to Twitter and called the school’s actions “pure discrimination.” He suggested outrage would have ensued if the school disallowed speakers that support other religious or ethnic groups.
During a wide-ranging Monday interview with The Truth Gazette editor-in-chief Brilyn Hollyhand, Pearl asserted that the students’ actions were “unacceptable.”
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“I just think that is discriminatory, that is racist, that is anti-Semitic, and it’s unacceptable,” Pearl said.
The veteran college basketball coach said no minority group should be treated in such a way by an institution of higher learning.
“Simply put, let’s change a Jew-free zone, or a no Jews, or Israelis, or Zionist speakers to no women speakers, to no Black people, to no Muslim guests. I don’t think it’s acceptable,” he said. “And I think I’ve got a responsibility as the person they’re talking about — OK, Berkeley. Where am I allowed to go? Because guess what, Auburn’s playing next year at Berkeley for football. We’re playing there and I’m going.”
An unabashed supporter of the state of Israel, Pearl said he believes there can be peace in the Middle East.
“I do believe peace and prosperity is possible. I do,” he said. “I look at Israel and it’s three million Arabs … Israel in so many ways, if you look at the makeup of the government, … here’s an example: 50% of the medical health workers and nurses and doctors in Israel are Arab. It’s perceived that a nurse or a doctor or a healthcare worker would be the higher end of the food chain, and they’re Arab. I think that’s something people don’t know and Israel should be very proud of.”
The Truth Gazette’s sitdown with Pearl adds to Hollyhand’s list of high-profile conservatives the young journalist has interviewed since launching the news service at age 11.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
