Pro-Palestine Professor Sacked from Bristol University

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Another academic has become a victim of Israeli lobbies 

The University of Bristol has sacked Professor David Miller, claiming in a public statement that the professor "did not meet the standards of behavior" expected from the university staff. It continued to say that "The university has concluded that Professor Miller’s employment should be terminated with immediate effect." But, there is more to the simple "disruptive" behavior that professors like Miller are accused of before enduring smear campaigns by pro-"Israel" lobbies.

An investigation was launched in March 2021 regarding the professor's occupational status in the institution, as accusations by various groups supporting Israel rose aiming to get Miller fired. 

According to The Guardian, the scope of the university's investigation and "the exact reasons for its conclusion are confidential, though they are understood not to cover the lecture content." Anti-semitism was not mentioned as a pretext in any of the two statements made by the university in March and October consecutively, despite all the accusations against Miller during the last period. 

Reasons?

Professor Miller is well-known to be a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause. Miller had made comments about the Zionist movement as one of the five reasons for islamophobia in a lecture. 

Since his research is specialized in "how power self-perpetuates through lobbying and propaganda," he is well-known for linking pro-Israeli student groups to organized lobbying. These lobbies aim to defend the Israeli occupation and fight pro-Palestine narratives in academia. The professor believes that "Since 2011, pro-"Israel" activists have attempted to smear me personally"; he added that the Israeli lobby has been very clear. "It wants me sacked and has been trying to achieve this for two years," he wrote in an article for the Electronic Intifada.

The 'Support David Miller' Campaign

The 'Support David Miller' Campaign, which has been rallying for the professor, commented on the act of Bristol University by saying that the university was sending a message that "It will protect racists, and [that] Muslims, Black students, and Palestinians are not welcome at Bristol.” 

The campaign has been collecting signatures from academic figures across the globe, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom in support of Professor Miller.

The signed open letter issued by the campaign called the attack on Miller a "prolonged harassment of a highly-regarded scholar," adding that such actions "create a culture of self-censorship and fear in the wider academic community." The letter, furthermore, says that the university's attempts "to stifle discourse on Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism are particularly regressive and inconsistent with the values the University of Bristol."

The campaign urged the university "to vigorously defend the principle of academic freedom and the rights to free speech and to evidence-based and research-informed public discourse."

An appeal?

In its public statement, the University of Bristol announced that "Professor Miller has a right of internal appeal which he may choose to exercise and nothing in this statement should be taken to prejudge that prospective process."

From his part, Professor Miller said that the university "had embarrassed itself," adding that it submitted to a pressure campaign directed by "Israel" against what he represents. 

Professor Miller added that he would challenge the decision before the university, and would escalate it to an employment tribunal if unsuccessful, according to The Guardian.