Eighty organizations today wrote to the California State University (CSU) Chancellor and the University’s General Counsel demanding answers regarding San Francisco State University (SFSU) Professor Rabab Abdulhadi’s continued use of the university’s name and logo to spread anti-Semitism and false propaganda against Israel on social media.
The groups initially learned that an image with the message “Zionism = Racism” and “Boycott! Divest! Sanction!” had been posted to the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diaspora’s Program (AMED) Facebook page, and asked CSU and state officials to address the matter, more than a month ago. To date, nothing has been done. The hateful posts remain, and Abdulhadi has added new posts soliciting funds for her lawsuit against SFSU and to fight the “Israel Lobby.” The response from newly appointed SFSU President Mahoney is that the AMED Facebook page is an independent page and unaffiliated with the university.
“When we raised our serious concerns about the apparent illegality of the postings with SFSU, the response was that the AMED Facebook page is a private page unaffiliated with the university. That response is completely insufficient,” wrote the groups today. “The official AMED logo and ‘San Francisco State University’ are displayed front and center for all to see. Furthermore, a suggested university disclaimer that the views of the site ‘are not those of the university’ will not address the continued blatant misuse of an SFSU program’s logo and the name of the university. An SFSU academic program should never be allowed to use its departmental logo and the name ‘San Francisco State University’ to disseminate politically-motivated and hate-filled messages.”
The full letter and the unsuccessful back and forth attempts to address this matter with Mahoney can be seen here.