EFFORTPOST University of Cape Town yearly Israel vs Palestine Drama

Greetings Dramatards!

Ever heard of UCT (the University of Cape Town)? That's where I studied Land Surveying. And just like a rural redneck hick whom came from his backwards isolated tiny town, into the big turbo liberal city, did I also experience a plethora of batshit insane political grandstanding and sneeding regarding various subject, during my time studying there.

One which particularly brings back memories is the annual passive aggressive grandstanding between Palestinian and Israeli students every year in February during Orientation Week. In this Orientation Week, all the new 1st year students are shown the location of their Residencies, lecture localities, admin buildings, and all they need by 2nd to 4th year mentors and council members by the various faculties like Sciences, Engineering or Humanities. During that orientation week, the entire Upper Campus (the main section of the university where all the lecture halls are located) is filled with booths advertising all of the societies and clubs hosted by the university. https://schoolgistsa.co.za/uct-student-societies-and-organizations/

Among these organizations are extracurricular activities like Sports: Rugby, soccer, martial arts, swimming clubs. Then there's student churches for every conceivable religion. And even extreme activities like Hiking and Skiing club - in which UCT would be willing to sponsor you if you were a seasoned mountain climber or whatever. I think the only club I ever joined was the Hiking club and the chess club, in which the other chess players always pulverized me.

https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2017-03-20-o-week

Among these Orientation Week booths advertising their clubs, were also political societies like student Political Parties for like the DA, ANC or EFF for example. Then there are obscure political societies for every nationality from foreign countries like below:

But the most drama inducing and earthshakingly screetch providers every year - was the Palestine vs Israel booths located opposite each other, over the main plaza, just called..... the Plaza, as located before the Jameson Hall. For since forever, as in before I arrived at UCT, these two politcal booths have been turbo nuclear drama generators, especially the very very liberal and activist Palestinian one.

Every single year, UCT Leadership had mandated that each booth be allowed equal say, and equal Plaza space to give their side of the story, to give their version of events of the never ending Palestine-Israel conflict. And the mere fact that UCT has even ALLOWED the israelites a booth and space on the Plaza, to give their side of events, have eternally caused turbo seeeeeth amongst the Muslim students of UCT and Cape Town.

SLAPFIGHTS BETWEEN PALESTINIAN AND JEWISH STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS REGARDING BOOTH PLACEMENT ON JAMESON PLAZA:

https://www.facebook.com/UCTPSF/photos/uct-palestine-solidarity-forums-mock-israel-apartheid-wall-has-been-moved-from-t/1629256147092508/?paipv=0&eav=AfadMX23J1KFj2w9YKgMj1NppSFnTX01aEgvVGBGTD6xyxZqHtpWNDh0Zsm60zYqch0&_rdr

Here's a facebook post from 2017 March which proudly showcases the pettiness of the Palestine Solidarity Forum. It's an absolutely PERFECT post - because it's a microcosm of the perpetual slapfight between SAUJS and the Palestine Solidarity Forum. Almost every second year they would pull their art walls and booths and Political posters into the middle of the Plaza, in direct insubordination of UCT leadership mandate (which states that both factions be afforded equal space and prominence), to show the MAN that they won't take NO for answer against racist Israel.

================"UCT Palestine Solidarity Forum’s mock Israel apartheid wall has been moved from the one side of Jameson (Marikana Memorial) Plaza into the centre of it.

We reject the setup of Plaza dictated to us by UCT management that stipulates that PSF be given one side of Plaza to present the Palestinian narrative, while SAUJS be given the other side of Plaza to present the Israeli narrative. This normalises the oppression of the Palestinian people.

Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is not an exercise of intellectual flexing. Nor is it an event of fantasy with no relation to the real world. There is a very clear power differential in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Israel is the oppressor, Palestine is the oppressed. Those who believe otherwise are misguided (or just plainly racist).

By placing the Palestinian narrative on one side of Plaza, and the Israeli narrative on the other, the setup of the space portrays both Israel and Palestine as equally responsible for the conflict. It suggests that the conflict is two-sided, and both Israel and Palestine hold moral legitimacy. It cannot be that students are deceived by this visual distortion of actual oppression. The fact that the oppressor is afforded such prominent space on Plaza is in itself deeply problematic. The fact that they are afforded an equal share of the space with the oppressed is unacceptable. Especially considering that SAUJS has refused PSF’s invitation to constructively debate on Thursday, we cannot allow that they freely propagate lies and hide the oppression of Palestinians behind their free coffee and food.

Lastly, SAUJS will undoubtedly complain about the wall being moved, and we will inevitably be disciplined by the university. We are unfazed by this.

But technically, we are only breaking the university’s rules governing IAW as much as SAUJS has already done. The IAW Code of Conduct stipulates that both PSF and SAUJS’ structures must be confined to an 8x8 zone on either side of Plaza. SAUJS’ tent measures 12x9 with its full extensions, and 9x7 without. UCT Health and Safety ruled that even though SAUJS’ tent extends outside of its allocated 8x8 zone, because its 9x7 tent fits within the square meterage of 64 squared metres, its one metre extension outside of their 8x8 zone is acceptable. Our structure measures significantly less than the amount by which SAUJS’ tent extends outside of their zone and its square meterage is a mere fraction of SAUJS’ tent. And so, if the square meterage of 64 metres squared is the relevant measurement, then we are entitled to have a structure on plaza with the dimensions of 64x1; and if SAUJS’ structure is allowed to take up some space out of their allocated zone, so too should our structure be allowed to take up an equal amount of space out of our allocated zone.

This is undoubtedly insignificant semantics and a fairly petty argument, but unfortunately it is the only language UCT understands. However, regardless of whether SAUJS’ tent extends out of its zone or not, it is always justified to centre the narrative of the oppressed, even if it breaks the rules." ====================== (from facebook post)

Yeah, you read that right, they are having a struggle session regarding the fricking precise dimensions the Jewlords are allowed to have their booth tents occupy.

HAMAS SPEAKS AT UCT:

But just in case you guys thought it was only Palistinards whom were overly dramatic, here's some statement from the SA Zionists this very year. To be fair, they did host actual Hamas members, be we've all seen the perpetual back and forth debates regarding redditors defining whether Hamas is actually a terror organization, so the point is moot, depending on who does the screaming.

https://www.sazf.org/current-issues/uct-fails-to-condemn-promotion-of-hate-speech

The rest goes on and on about how our Jewlords are going to assblast the UCT Council with legal action, but the point remains here is that for like at least two decades, UCT has been completely stuck between the two groups of Palestinoids and Jewlords screaming IRL and online to the UCT leadership about how evil and terrible the other side is, and UCT has tried its very best to remain neutral on this issue, as there is like zero advantage to taking a side.

https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/war-of-words-after-uct-student-body-screens-messages-from-hamas-palestinian-islamic-jihad-20230323

Back in 2021, when the entire reddit turned into a hate echo chamber against israel for like 2 months, when the regular 5 year spat between palestine and israel was frontpage never-ending news, and the violence at Gaza was at an all time high, UCT tweeted the following, preaching for peace and future solidarity for both sides. I'm mentioning this to demonstrate how very hard UCT has tried to be neutral regarding this toxic matter, even in the current era.

https://x.com/UCT_news/status/1394567923889590272

Lots of sneed in the comments from activists.

JEWS OUTNUMBERED AT UCT:

Additionally it should be mentioned that our Jewish friends on UCT Upper Campus tends to be at a distinct disadvantage regarding getting their voice heard. They are vastly outnumbered by their muslim peers, and leftwingers whom are notorious for supporting Palestine & Hamas, and reducing the astronomically complicated situation in which the Israelites and Palestinians find themselves today, into a reductive bellow about how modern Jewland is an Apartheid state.

https://www.facebook.com/saujs/posts/723284987812278/?paipv=0&eav=AfYOcEbjj-epc2XM8guJ3tR2SJN1QoORCU5EBCikobHQeaaN89sja4wLISnjeVGPuwM&_rdr

To make matters even more of an uphill battle for the SAUJS - South African Union of Jewish Students - is that half of Cape Town's coloured population are muslims, this includes the proportional student body. And most ANC supporters tend to be left or left adjacent regarding these hot topics, so consequently many black students, if they even have an opinion regarding Israel, it's immediately negatively activated with speeches regarding Israeli Apartheid.

Most white students tend to be all over politically, but as usual leftwingers tend to be the most politically active, and have their voices heard much louder and often than their cucked right wing peers whom tend to keep their heads down.

The long boring point is that the Jewish students of UCT tend to be vastly outnumbered, and whenever the Pro-palestine faction does something physical like overwhelm the jewish faction, then it tens to be like a swarm of 500 people against a small itty bitty group of like 10-15 peeps. By this I don't claim that I know of that there has ever been violence on Upper Campus, BLM riots style, between the factions, but often the pro-Palestine faction would do stuff like interrupt speeches in hall given by prominent israelites or people giving their views on the matters regarding complex situation, and thus forcefully breaking up the debates or shouting down the poor outnumbered jewish cucks.

Can't exactly fight against this.

https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/al-quds-day-call-for-palestinians-right-to-self-defence-boycott-of-zionist-products-in-sa-d32c3c69-0b82-468a-84f3-5785ee04b747

Here's a civil organization calling for boycott of Isreali goods imported to RSA. I mention this to show the metric shitload of people, even outside of UCT, which hold the pro-palistine and anti-jew views in Cape Town, and how much support the Palestine Solidarity Forum enjoys from the surrounding populace, compared to their jewish peers. This was in April this year.

UCT SENATE VOTES ON BOYCOTTING ISRAELI INSTITUTIONS:

https://www.vocfm.co.za/psf-and-sazf-both-claim-victory-in-uct-israeli-boycott-decision/

Back in 2019 UCT had another drama hurricane when the UCT senate made a vote regarding the offciall boycott of Israel Academically - meaning that they would not recognize Israeli universities or something, I have no idea, it was something petty and insubstantial to make everyone grind their teeth in wingcuckery impotence.

What was significant was that "The proposal was received by the UCT council, having been passed by the senate with 62 in favour, 43 against and 10 abstentions. Despite this, the council has resolved to refer the matter back to senate". Thus caused turbo sneed amongst all of the muslim students, and a lot of peeps claimed that our Zionist Jewlords were paying off the UCT leadership.

Back in 2018 there was similar useless spats

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/university-of-cape-town-blocks-academic-boycott-of-israel-585316

https://www.scribd.com/article/437449055/South-Africa-University-Refuses-Support-For-Israel-Boycott

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191026-nelson-mandelas-church-has-adopted-a-boycott-of-israel-to-be-emulated/

A local church also cried for boycott of Israeli goods. Long Winded, the TLDR is that ANC and leftwingers don't like Israel. Back in 1940s to 1980s Israel was one of the few nations which supported the Union of South Africa, and both were unique pariahs thus both nations had a strange pariah relationship with each other. ANC still sore about that.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-cape-town-students-pass-bds-jews-fear-campus-nightmare/

Way back in 2014 UCT leadership had a secret vote to decide on banning Jewish organizations.

========"At a closed-doors meeting last week, the University of Cape Town’s umbrella student organization adopted a proposal pushing for Boycott, Sanction, and Divest measures against Israel for all student-run organizations and events. University management must this week decide whether to adopt it. Jewish students fear their campus organization may be banned, and that they are in for a nightmarish period.

In line with the vituperative anti-Israel rhetoric sweeping South Africa since the start of Operation Protective Edge, the University of Cape Town Student Representative Council voted last Monday to adopt a resolution supporting BDS, declaring Israel an apartheid state, and calling for the expulsion of Israel’s ambassador."========

VIEWPOINTS FOM JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS ON CAMPUSSES:

I include the following to show how the UCT and other RSA jew students view themselves, and how they feel when being opposed by organizations like Palestine Solidarity Forum.

https://www.standwithus.com/post/standwithus-and-south-african-union-of-jewish-students-team-to-combat-iaw-2022

=========Every year around the world, anti-Israel groups host an "Israel Apartheid Week," (IAW) a global campaign of hate that dehumanizes Israelis and often seeks to intimidate Jewish university students. This movement has significant momentum, specifically in South Africa, leaving local pro-Israel students with an overwhelmingly hostile campus climate. =========

Some super hot Jewess babes

====(from the article)

"In 2022, IAW was held March 21-28. StandWithUs is annually invited by the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS) for the on-the-ground delegation to support Jewish students in South Africa during BDS’ Israel Apartheid Week. StandWithUs Israel Director of Partnerships Noa Raman led a delegation of Israelis from all backgrounds: Druze, Brazilian, Moroccan, and Jerusalemite Israeli. This delegation serves as the backbone of the pro-Israel campaign and was led by the South African Union of Jewish Students.

This was in contrast to the hate-filled campaign endorsed by BDS, an organization that calls for the destruction of the Jewish state, dialogue and healing that they choose to disrespect the rules wherever they could. Throughout the week they ripped down SAUJS posters, went behind the administrations back to deface SAUJS’s peaceful mural, and their most nasty action was painting a SAUJS t-shirt in “blood stained” paint.

Manipulative and despicable tactics of BDS are not new. The administration will handle such behavior accordingly. Meanwhile SAUJS and StandWithUs stood their ground and were not intimidated by such actions. The StandWithUs team launched an effective response for students on the ground; we organized an educated and trained team of Israeli delegates to mobilize pro-Israel students, help develop an effective educational campaign with tailored strategies and messaging, and engage hundreds of South African students during IAW. SA students will feel empowered to stand proud with their cultures, religions, identities and beliefs and push back against antisemitism. "============

Right sorry for the confusing and disjointed post, I didn't know how to organize these.