Student activists at the University of Hong Kong accused Jonathan Greenblatt of promoting ‘hate speech’ [Getty]
Anti-war student activists at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) forced a talk featuring the CEO of a controversial US pro-Israel group to be cancelled following protests, amid concerns about the potential amplification of “hate speech” on campus as Israel launches brutal new attacks on Gaza.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), was scheduled to speak at the university on Tuesday at an event said to focus on the “dangers of antisemitism and online hate speech”.
Following the announcement of Greenblatt’s guest appearance, student activists launched an online petition calling on HKU to rescind the ADL leader’s invitation.
Pro-Palestine advocates feared that the CEO of the divisive group would use his platform to perpetuate a “one-sided pro-Israel bias” and promote “hate speech”, rather than speak against it.
The petition accused Greenblatt of equating “opposition to Israel with white supremacy as a source of antisemitism,” and claimed that his organisation “has abandoned much of its historical mission to combat antisemitism in favour of advocacy for Israel”.
The open letter has since garnered over 1,000 signatures.
The growing backlash appeared to lead to the cancellation of the session featuring the ADL CEO, as the HKU website listed the event on Tuesday as “cancelled”, citing “unforeseen circumstances”.
Local media reported that despite the University’s announcement, a group of HKU students gathered at a university faculty building, known as the Run Run Shaw Tower, to protest where the talk was originally scheduled to take place, due to uncertainty over whether it might still be held behind closed doors or online.
According to the Hong Kong Free Press, pro-Palestine student activists were surrounded by security as protesters held placards reading “Make fascists afraid again” and “Calling resistance ‘terrorist’ hides the real terror of the coloniser”.
The HKFP also reported that after the group of student activists moved outside onto the campus grounds, the police recorded the ID card details of each activist, as well as a reporter from the outlet.
Security officials also reportedly attempted to prevent HKFP from reporting on the demonstration in solidarity with Gaza.
Staff allegedly informed the protesters that they were not permitted to display placards or protest without prior authorisation, with one individual telling HKFP that they were causing a disturbance.
According to HKFP, the demonstrators were subsequently escorted off the campus by security.
Hong Kong, a special administrative territory of China which was controlled by Britain until 1997, saw large-scale anti-government protests in 2019 and 2020 against a national security law which were met by a ruthless crackdown.
The ADL and HKU have yet to publicly comment on the latest developments.
The ADL, based in New York, has consistently faced criticism for its overtly pro-Israel stance and its attempts to equate anti-Zionism or support for Palestine with antisemitism.
The pro-Israel group was notably scrutinised for defending what was perceived as a Nazi salute made by billionaire Elon Musk at a political rally in January, calling it “an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm”.
Months prior to the ADL’s stance on the infamous Musk salute, the group’s CEO Greenblatt himself compared the Palestinian keffiyeh to the Nazi swastika.
