Israeli Prof Charged Over Facebook Status
Deputy State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan instructed the police to open a criminal investigation against Dr. Ayal Nir, a lecturer at Ben- Gurion University in Be’er Sheva, over a status on his Facebook page in which he called on the world to “break the necks of right-wing activists.”
Nir faces possible charges of incitement of violence.
The Be’er Sheva lecturer’s status was in response to the right-wing Jerusalem Day “Rikud Degalim” flag procession held this year in East Jerusalem, in which activists yelled “Death to the Arabs” as they marched through the Old City.
“I call on the world to come and help break these scoundrels’ necks,” Nir posted as his status in May of this year, after which he posted a video showing the marchers yelling “Death to the Arabs”.
The Ministry of Justice said that despite the offensive slogans that were heard on the video, Nir’s calls to break their necks warranted a criminal investigation into incitement of violence.
“Dr. Nir published his comments as a private individual, on his personal Facebook page. The university does not take a side in the matter, and therefore justice should be sought in appropriate legal forum,” Ben-Gurion University said in a statement.
For more, go to Haaretz.com
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
