Kent State Responds to Professor's Anti-Israel Outburst
Associate professor shouted 'Death to Israel' at public lecture this week
Kent State University is responding to an anti-Israel outburst made by one of its professors at a public lecture this week.
The university released a statement today regarding comments made by history professor Julio Pino, who attended a speech given on campus Tuesday night by Ishmael Khaldi, former deputy consul general at the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco. Pino sparked an argument when he asked Khaldi why Israel was contributing to the deaths of Palestinian women and babies, the Daily Kent Stater reported.
Pino, 50, is a tenured history professor and specializes in Latin American history. And he's been at the center of other controversies in the past during his time at Kent State.
The university released the following statement about Pino's comments:
"The event held Oct. 25 involved an invited speaker who spoke on campus. Dr. Julio Pino, a Kent State faculty member, attended the presentation by Ishmael Khaldi, the former Deputy Consul General at the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco.
"The event was free and open to the public. The format of the event included a question-and-answer session that allowed for exchange and interaction with members of the audience. We acknowledge that Dr. Pino’s interaction was not respectful of the speaker and is not the courtesy most speakers experience at Kent State University.
"Clearly, Dr. Pino’s outburst was meant to disrupt the occasion and dilute the speaker’s message and influence. While his actions are garnering much media attention, we are confident that our students and members of the community who were in attendance will not be distracted from Mr. Khaldi’s more powerful message.
"We want to be clear that the university does not speak for Dr. Pino nor defend any views he might have, and he does not speak for Kent State, our departments or faculty. As a university, we are obligated by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to recognize that political speech is strongly protected."
willie
9:48 pm on Thursday, October 27, 2011
If he were a student at KRHS, he would be suspended.
MOST HATED PERSON ON PATCH
10:26 pm on Thursday, October 27, 2011
that's what's wrong with high schools.
Gini Obert Shallenberger
8:33 am on Friday, October 28, 2011
No, it is not wrong for high schools to teach students to treat everyone with respect, even when they disagree with them.
MOST HATED PERSON ON PATCH
4:23 pm on Friday, October 28, 2011
suspended for free speech. that's what's wrong with high schools. do something they don't like, get kicked out of school. that's not a punishment or deterrent.
Omaha Bob
7:15 pm on Friday, October 28, 2011
What does he have to do to get fired? What if he bombed the Quad? Haven't they protected this Jihadist long enough? I am so embarrassed for and by my school. Having this clown here give me a clue about their mission.
I am one of the relatively few alums who are in Obama's targeted tax group. They will not see a penny from me no matter how much they continue to beg. KSU has wandered so far from my values it just boggles my mind.
Boycott Apartheid
6:48 am on Saturday, October 29, 2011
Free speech that expresses contempt for Israel-- is it legal? Some comments indicate that all rules of tenure be broken now, simply to gag such speech at Kent.
What about Israel's actions? It has killed many thousands of Palestinians without a trial. Is that legal?
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbnT1hmdD-w
Who is the lawbreaker? Israel or the professor who complains about Israel?
john w hurd jr
10:02 am on Saturday, October 29, 2011
Freedom of speech??? The 1st amendment as written say "to petition the government for a redress of grievances." To speak out against the actions of the government without free of reprisal.
There is a difference between freedom of speech and hate speech.
DJones
6:16 pm on Saturday, October 29, 2011
This is hate speech, but common place in our higher educational institutions. My daughter attended Berk's Penn State Campus as a History Major and her first class with a professor who made it clear he hated America along with capitalism and mocked at the belief in a God. Are any of us really surprised by Kent State's Professor of History, Julio Pino, rant and the explaining away of it by the other Academic Elites.
Jeremy
1:25 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
Kent State has a poor interpretation of the first amendment. As Dr. Pino's employer, they are fully within their rights fire him as this only serves to discourage business with Kent State. They are trying to cover for themselves by saying that he does not speak for Kent State, but as he is a professor of Kent State, he does speak on their behalf through all of his actions.
The first amendment protects those from persecution by the law. If Kent State decides that he is bad for business, they need only to envoke whatever organized body investigates tenured professors and do their best to remove him.
James Thomas
2:30 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
Let me pose this question.
If, in his next lecture or open class session, the students present started shouting "Death to Pino, Death to Pino" there would be no repercussions for them on 1st Amendment grounds?
Linda UmBayemake
6:34 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
His question should have been answered. It is legitimate, read the paper, do your research Palestinian women and babies are dying at a high rate by bullets from Israel bullets. Now if the scenario was reversed someone would pay quick fast and in a hurry. Then when someone questions the atrocity he is called Jihad, everyone is not Jihad. There are more Jihad like people in the Tea Party if you go by the examples given here. Before you talk, do your research, read some books watch historical video's, this country is supposedly built on free speech, etc... but if it goes against certain people's belief then they want them fired, they are Jihad, they are not like us, they are too different. You are in a College Town, supposedly more enlightened than other places start acting like it.
James Thomas
7:21 pm on Thursday, November 3, 2011
Sort of like the situation of Coptic Christians in Egypt where world outrage insures that "someone would pay quick fast and in a hurry"? To my knowledge they get no justice from the Egyptian Legal System.