The Israeli ambassador criticizes the Portuguese student demonstrations, stating that they are “pure anti-Semitism” and that they incite the destruction of the State of Israel. “Some red lines” are needed.
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Israel’s ambassador to Portugal, Dor Shapira, called on Portugal’s “main universities” to defend freedom of expression, but also to ensure limits and safety for Jewish or Israeli students.
In statements to Lusa, the diplomat said that he had sent letters to the “main universities”, after contacts from some university students and posters displayed in registered demonstrations described as “very worrying”, such as those that “They talk about cleansing the world of Jews“.
“It is pure anti-Semitism. Or a sign that says ‘river to the sea, Palestine will be free’, which means that the State of Israel will not exist. This is not a demonstration against Israeli policy, it is a demonstration calling for the destruction of the State of Israel. Even in a demonstration, we should have some red lines“.
The ambassador highlighted how freedom of expression is one of the “fundamentals” of Israel, a country with demonstrations “because that is how democracy works. “But it is important to understand that even freedom of expression must have some red lines and some limits,” he stressed.
Therefore, freedom of expression must be guaranteed in universities, but “A single, Jewish or Israeli student feels threatened“, just as posters “that do not go against Israeli policy, but against Jews and that contain real anti-Semitic elements” should not be authorized.
“I am open to debate and criticism, but even in this situation there must be some red lines that we cannot cross. Otherwise, it takes us back to very dark days that we had 80 years ago in Europe,” he considered.
Pro-Palestinian camps and demonstrations and calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip have been promoted in Portuguese universities, such as Monday’s occupation of the NOVA Faculty of Medicine in Lisbon.
Buildings invaded, classes suspended and the promise to continue until a ceasefire in Gaza. What is happening in Portuguese universities?
According to Catarina Bio, advisor to the student movement ‘End Genocide, End Fossil’, five students ended up detained.
The Metropolitan Command of the PSP of Lisbon (Comtelis) confirmed to Lusa, at 1:00 a.m., the arrest of activists at the school, without specifying how many or how the operation was carried out, sending information for later.
The movement had announced in a statement on Monday the occupation of the faculty by students from the NOVA Faculty of Medicine, in a protest in which students from the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences (FCSH), also from the Nova University of Lisbon, the target of an occupation during the last two weeks.
The PSP detains pro-Palestinian protesters who occupied the NOVA Faculty of Medicine in Lisbon
The current conflict in Gaza was triggered by the attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Israeli soil on October 7, which caused around 1,200 deaths and two hundred hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
Since then, Israel has launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip that has caused more than 36,000 deaths and a serious humanitarian crisis, according to Hamas, which has ruled the Palestinian enclave since 2007.
Source: Observadora
