Stop The Boycott
Press Release
Tuesday 26th June 2007
STOP THE BOYCOTT CAMPAIGN POLL: 86% of Key Business, Cultural and Political Leaders Oppose an Academic Boycott of Israel
Today Stop The Boycott Campaign received support from business, cultural and political leaders.
A new poll by Populus on whether an academic boycott of Israel would be supported by business, cultural and political leaders, finds that:
● 86% of those polled opposed an academic boycott of Israel, only 14% supported one.
● 86% those polled, and 84% of academia and NGOs believe it flies in the face of academic freedom
● 80% think that it is an unreasonable way to express disapproval with Israel’s relationship with the Palestinians
● 70% think its bad for Britain.
Key findings
Populus has assembled an opinion former panel – the Populus Network – which brings together nearly 1,000 business, cultural and political leaders whose views and decisions help shape the mood of the country.
The Populus Network draws together senior opinion formers from:
● The City and business - including C-suite executives
● Government and politics - including civil servants, public servants and political advisers
● Media and communications – including journalists and commentators, PR and public affairs specialists
● NGOs – including pressure groups, trade unions and think tanks
ACADEMIC BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL
The congress of the University & College Union (UCU) – the biggest union of further and higher education teachers, lecturers and academic support staff – has recently voted to promote an academic boycott of all Israeli universities.
Do you support or oppose this boycott?
Support
City & Business - 12%
Government & Politics - 14%
Media & Communications - 15%
NGOs & Academia - 16%
TOTAL - 14%
Oppose
City & Business - 88%
Government & Politics - 86%
Media & Communications - 85%
NGOs & Academia - 84%
TOTAL - 86%
In response to the findings, by Populus, Lorna Fitzsimons, the Chief Executive of BICOM said:
“The vast majority oppose an academic boycott because it flies in the face of the deeply held principle that academic freedom – the freedom to talk and engage with each other is valued by the British people. Our business, cultural, and political leaders all share the view that a boycott will be damaging to Britain and damage the prospects for peace in between Israel and the Palestinians.”
Jeremy Newmark, the Chief Executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, said:
“It is extremely encouraging that the there is a broad and deep sense across our business, academia and political leadership that an academic boycott would be damaging to Britain and her standing in the world – as well as a blow to academic freedom. This poll further emphasizes the need for the whole membership of the UCU to vote on an academic boycott. The executive should call a referendum.”
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Notes for editors
1. The campaign is being sponsored by BICOM and the Fair Play Campaign Group. We can be contacted at:
0207 636 5500 / 0207 467 8949 and the press officer is Khevyn Limbajee, the Head of Media at BICOM, who can be reached 24/7 on 07984 924 962 and at press@stoptheboycott.org
Our website is live at www.stoptheboycott.org
2. The decision by the recent University and College Union conference to consider a boycott of Israeli universities has been widely condemned by politicians of all parties, trade unionists, Palestinian groups, and academics.
In response “Stop the Boycott” has been formed. We are a bespoke coalition of academics, Jewish and non- Jewish groups across the UK who have come together to counter the UCU’s decision.
3. Our message to the UCU is simple; the boycott is bad for Britain, bad for academic freedom and bad for the Palestinians. That is why we are calling on Sally Hunt, UCU general secretary, to honour her election pledge to call a full ballot of all 120, 000 members to decide this matter, which is far too important to be left to political activists alone.
4. Under the banner of the Fair Play Campaign Group (FPCG), this campaign is being driven by the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) and the Jewish Activities Committee (JAC). This campaign is supported by:
● Trade Union Friends of Israel (TUFI)
● Union of Jewish Students (UJS)
● The Board of Deputies (BOD)
● Labour Friends of Israel (LFI)
● Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI)
● Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel (LDFI)
● The Friends of Hebrew University (FHU)
● The Zionist Federation (ZF)
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