George Galloway has been accused of racism after walking out of a debate with an Oxford student because he was an Israeli citizen.
The debate, on the topic “Israel should withdraw immediately from the West Bank”, was held in Christ Church College, Oxford. Galloway had already delivered his speech, in proposition, before his opponent Eylon Aslan-Levy, a third-year student of Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Brasenose College, began. Shortly into Aslan-Levy’s speech, Galloway realised that he was an Israeli citizen.
The Cherwell‘s Tom Beardsworth reports:
“I have been misled,” Mr Galloway then commented, interrupting Aslan-Levy’s speech. “I don’t debate with Israelis”. He then left the room with his wife, Putri Gayatri Pertiwi, and was escorted out of Christ Church by a college porter…
In a statement late on Wednesday evening Galloway explained that “I refused this evening to debate with an Israeli, a supporter of the Apartheid state of Israel. The reason is simple; No recognition, No normalisation. Just Boycott, divestment and sanctions, until the Apartheid state is defeated.”
A video of the event shows the moment Galloway learned Aslan-Levy’s nationality. In it, Galloway can be heard picking up on Aslan-Levy’s use of the word “we” to describe Israel, and seen leaving the event saying, “I don’t recognise Israel and I don’t debate with Israelis”:
Aslan-Levy later said that it was “pure racism” to refuse to talk to someone based on their nationality. Galloway spent much of yesterday evening defending his decision on Twitter, responding to accusations of xenophobia and racisim:
@segal_matt I don’t debate with Israelis or speak to their media. If Israelis want to speak about Palestine they can talk to the PLO
— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) February 20, 2013
@alonorbach No recognition of Israel. No normalisation. Christ Church never informed us the debate would be with an Israeli. Simple.
— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) February 20, 2013
@benjaminsimon1 no recognition no normalisation. Boycott divestment sanctions. No playing with Apartheid Israël
— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) February 21, 2013
The MP for Bradford West has also recently stirred controversy after his defence of Julian Assange, who is wanted for questioning in Sweden over allegations of rape. Galloway claimed that Assange was merely accused of “bad sexual etiquette”, and argued that:
I mean not everybody needs to be asked prior to each insertion. Some people believe that when you go to bed with somebody, take off your clothes, and have sex with them and then fall asleep, you’re already in the sex game with them.
Following those comments, Salma Yaqoob, the leader of the Respect party of which Galloway is the only MP, quit, commenting that:
George Galloway’s comments on what constitutes rape are deeply disappointing and wrong.
Earlier that year, Galloway threatened to sue the New Statesman after Jemima Khan revealed his conversion to Islam. No case has been brought to date.
Update:
Galloway makes reference to the idea of “boycott divestment and sanctions” (BDS) in defending his choice to not debate Aslan-Levy. The Palestinian BDS National Committee, which co-ordinates the BDS movement, has released a statement today which reads, in part:
In its 2005 BDS Call, Palestinian civil society has called for a boycott of Israel, its complicit institutions, international corporations that sustain its occupation, colonization and apartheid, and official representatives of the state of Israel and its complicit institutions. BDS does not call for a boycott of individuals because she or he happens to be Israeli or because they express certain views. Of course, any individual is free to decide who they do and do not engage with. [Emphasis added]
The moderator of the debate, Michael Baldwin, also got in touch to add:
I was disappointed that a possibly fruitful discussion was prematurely ended by Mr Galloway’s refusal to debate someone just because of their nationality. As he himself is a Palestinian citizen, he would rightly be indignant if an opponent of his were to refuse to debate him on the basis of his passport. I would encourage Mr Galloway to reconsider his position, which is open to accusations of xenophobia.
Updated with video. Quotes and headline more accurately reflect what was said. Updated again to add statements.
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