Choir's Planned Israel Trip Causing Discord
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We David Starkey: victory in Blues take a peek inside the best and worst rooms in The sensitive, Rugby triumph Cambridge reflective side of History’s favorite contrarian Friday November 6th 2009 The Independent Student Newspaper since 1947 Issue no 705 | varsity.co.uk PAUL SMITH Choir’s planned Israel trip Peterhouse votes causing discord to remain in CUSU » Prominent cultural figures protest Clare Choir’s Gemma Oke scheduled Christmas tour Senior Reporter R COLLEGE Israeli propaganda machine as proof Peterhouse students have voted to Helen Mackreath of the ‘normality’ and ‘acceptability’ remain affiliated to CUSU for the Senior Reporter of the Israeli rogue state - which is next academic year. neither normal nor acceptable.” In an open meeting on Wednesday Betty Hunter, General Secretary a motion was posed that the College ClareWESTMINSTE College Choir’s proposed tour of the Palestine Solidarity Cam- remain affiliated to CUSU, rather to Israel and Palestine during the paign, highlights in her letter that than asking students to disaffiliate. Christmas period has prompted December 27th, mid-tour, will be The motion carried with 55 votes, no angry protest letters from pro-Pal- the anniversary of Israel’s military opposing votes and four abstentions. estinian activists. onslaught on the trapped population Turnout to the open meet- The College Choir plans to visit of the Gaza Strip, in which 1,400 ing, at which CUSU President Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Palestinian people were massacred. Tom Chigbo was present, is Haifa and Karmiel, performing Meanwhile John Harte and believed to have been around 23%. J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Michael Stevens point out that The meeting’s agenda noted that during their tour, which will last Karmiel, a town on the proposed disaffiliation would mean using CUSU from December 23rd to 29th. On itinerary, is an exclusively Jewish services, such as counselling and wel- Christmas Eve they will be singing town built on territory confiscated fare, without contributing financially. in the Church of the Nativity, Beth- from Palestinian villages after the Difficulty in paying the CUSU lehem, followed by Midnight Mass war of 1948, and is now a symbol of subscription fee and sugges- in Jerusalem. the expropriation of land by Israel. tions that CUSU affiliation was These plans have met with anger Tim Brown, Director of Music at poor value prompted the debate from pro-Palestinian activists, who Clare, told Varsity that the Clare last year. Although monetary claim that the proposed tour would College Council had approved the pressures have been resolved, signal acceptance of Israel’s political proposed tour, having discussed it President Joe Ruiz said the vote regime. Protest letters have been over a number of weeks. He pointed would go ahead as it is “a good sent by seventeen members of the out that this 2009 tour is a repeat of idea for democracy in the College.” Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the a previous visit to Israel by Clare CUSU President Tom Chigbo co-directors of the Choir of London Choir made in September 2000, said the response demon- John Harte and Michael Stevens, and notes that the 2000 tour did not strated students’ faith in CUSU. and Karl Sabbagh, a British jour- raise any objections. “Discussions made it clear that stu- nalist of Palestinian descent. He also indicated that the Pales- dents identify with CUSU’s unique Signatories of the Palestine Soli- tine Solidarity Campaign website ability to support students, ” he said. darity Campaign include several encourages “study tours” and “It was great to see so many stu- notable figures, including the histo- “travel programmes” to Palestine, dents engaging with their JCR rian William Dalrymple, playwright which the Choir is fulfilling through and expressing a desire to play an Caryl Churchill, Oxford academic its visit to Bethlehem. Pro-Pales- active role in CUSU’s activities.” Karma Nabulsi, and Garth Hewitt, tinian protesters argue that this Honorary Canon of the Cathedral Bethlehem visit is merely tokenism Church of St George the Martyr in and under the auspices of the Israeli The Essay Jerusalem. government. Concerns revolve around the Israel invaded the West Bank and Robert Grant on tour’s potential political impli- Gaza Strip during the Six Day War the threat ‘Theory’ cations. Signatory Dr Raymond (1967) and has continued a policy poses to the Deane, an Irish composer and politi- of military occupation in these ter- humanities. cal activist, told Varsity, “Those of ritories ever since. Since 2006, Remember, remember: Midsummer Common us involved in culture can’t stand Palestinian artists, academics and Yesterday evening, Cambridge students and residents celebrated Guy back and pretend that we inhabit cultural organisations have been Fawkes night with fireworks and a fun fair on Midsummer Common. some ethereal realm remote from calling on the international commu- The Marshall and Cambridge Centenary Fireworks display began at the real world. Tours by artists such nity to cease working with Israeli 7:30 pm and was followed by a bonfire. The annual celebration normally as the Choir of Clare College will organisations that accept funding draws around 25,000 spectators. be exploited by the lavishly funded from the state. p9 2 Friday November 6th 2009 News Editors: Avantika Chilkoti, Emma Mustich and Beth Staton News www.varsity.co.uk [email protected] LARA PRENDERGAST In Brief Sassoon’s belongings to be preserved in Cambridge The papers of Siegfried Sassoon, the WW1 soldier-poet, who read Law at Clare, will shortly be on their way to the UL. The University started a campaign in June to raise the £1.25 million necessary to buy the collection, and is now just £110,000 short of the total after a £550,000 grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. The archive includes Sassoon’s journals, pocket notebooks compiled on the Western Front, poetry books and photographs, love letters to his wife Hester, and letters sent to Sassoon by writers and other distinguished figures. The acquisition, combined with the library’s existing material, will make the collection the most significant in the world. Cambridge scientist om Davenport (Sidney Sussex, pictured on cycle) and Alex Lass (Downing, in open doorway) made an unconventional bet last year: that the first defends Nutt to ride a pennyfarthing to lectures would get a free pint. While posting on the internet was initially fruitless, Tom finally heard of a Cambridge TPenny Farthing and secured a use of it by leaving a note for its owner, Charlotte Brearley (Pembroke). On Tuesday morning, Davenport lurked A Cambridge University statis- near the History of Art faculty while Lass ate breakfast in nearby Martin’s Café; as Lass emerged from the café, Davenport rode past in triumph. “I tics professor has spoken in take this sort of thing very seriously,” Davenport commented. support of former drugs advisor David Nutt. Sheila Bird, of the MRC biostatistics unit, sits on the Advisory Council he previ- King Street noodle bar could face £50,000 fine after immigration raid ously chaired. According to Nutt she has written to say she was “unhappy” with the conduct While the Border Agency claims new civil penalty system, that of the Home Office. David Nutt Christine Murphy to be taking steps to remove four Yippee may have to pay fines up was fired after he claimed that Reporter of the men from the country, the to the sum of £50,000. The charges, LSD, ecstasy and cannabis were youngest has been arrested and brought in by the Border Agency more dangerous than alcohol. remanded in custody under suspi- during February 2008, some months A raid by the UK Border Agency cion of ID offences. before the new sponsorship legisla- Launch of Cambridge took place on Tuesday night at However, a source from the restau- tion, target employers who fail to popular King Street eatery Yippee rant, which was open on Wednesday carry out proper checks on migrant Consulting Society Noodle Bar. night after having failed to open for workers, with fines of up to £10,000 The Cambridge University The pan-Asian restaurant, now afternoon trade, claimed that the per illegal worker. Consulting Society (CUCS) under threat of potential fines of up group were, in fact, not allowed to The restaurant’s closure Wednes- will be launching on Monday to £50,000, was visited by Border leave Cambridge, nor to work, and day at lunchtime was, Yippee claimed, November 16th at the Judge Agency officers shortly after the had to report to the police station on due to a shortage of staff. However, Business School. The society restaurant opened on Tuesday a regular basis. yesterday a sign was stuck onto the aims to provide a welcoming evening. Staff checks revealed that The restaurant also stated that window of the closed restaurant environment for students to find five members of staff were in the UK some of the accused staff had been informing customers that, “Due to out about what consulting offers illegally, and did not have permis- working there for nine years, since technical issues, Yippee will remain as a career path. Professionals sion to work. the noodle bar opened. They also closed until further notice. Sorry for from a range of backgrounds The five men, all Chinese and claimed that although they had their any inconvenience caused”. such as environmental and ranging in age from 23 to 38, are asylum seeker papers, the change This incident takes place only a public sector consultancy will chefs at the restaurant. in the law last year, demanding a month after a similar situation at deliver short talks, and Judge The Home Office Border Agency sponsor licence for non-European popular Quayside Japanese restau- Business School academics will said in a statement that three of the Union workers, meant that they rant Teri-Aki, when eight illegal be offering short lectures on men were failed asylum seekers and were no longer allowed to work.