\n Posted on: March 14, 2024, 11:40h.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
\n Last updated on: March 14, 2024, 11:57h.\n <\/p>\n
![\"Avatar](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-6-1-50x50.png\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nNumerous voices have criticized protestors who shut down a UNLV<\/a> lecture by an Israeli<\/a> physicist last month, and questioned the university\u2019s response.<\/p>\n The professor, Asaf Pe\u2019er, was speaking for about 15 minutes on the subject of black holes on February 27.<\/p>\n The talk came to a halt after protestors<\/a>, many holding anti-Israeli signs, stormed the lecture room and created a ruckus.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are not welcome on the UNLV campus,\u201d one protestor shouted at the professor.<\/p>\n \u201cHere\u2019s a relevant discussion. There\u2019s no hospitals. There\u2019s no ambulances. Do you know how women, men, fathers, families are decimated because of your government,\u201d another protestor yelled out. The comment came regarding Israel\u2019s military response in Gaza after the raid by by Hamas<\/a> fighters in October.<\/p>\n UNLV police were alerted to the disruption. Rather than the demonstrators getting forced out of the room, the lecture was canceled.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think that this is acceptable in any way in academia or anywhere,\u201d<\/strong> Pe\u2019er, who\u2019s an associate professor in the physics department at Israel\u2019s Bar Ilan University, later told Las Vegas TV station KLAS<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n He said he told the protestors he understood their wish to protest, \u201cbut this has nothing to do with it. This is a scientific event. I was asked by the physics department to talk about a physics subject,\u201d Pe\u2019er said.<\/p>\n Since the disrupted lecture, the Anti-Defamation League \u2013 Desert Region, Jewish Nevada, and the Israeli American Council wrote to UNLV President Keith Whitfield.<\/p>\n \u201cThe targeting of an Israeli Professor simply for his national origin is outrageous \u2014 Professor Pe\u2019er was not on campus speaking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the Israel-Hamas war. Rather, he was speaking to a physics class on his subject matter expertise \u2014 which has nothing to do with the conflict,\u201d the letter stated.<\/p>\n UNLV issued a statement to Casino.org <\/em>on Wednesday about the controversy and detailed the events.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter conferring with University Police, UNLV faculty decided to pause the lecture by Prof. Asaf Peer as a result of the interruptions. Even though the professor said he never felt unsafe, University Police, as a precaution only, accompanied him as he left the building. Prof. Peer was able to complete his lecture virtually later that day. Two days later, the professor was able to give a second in-person lecture on campus that was not interrupted.\u201d<\/p>\n UNLV is reviewing its actions to better handle such situations in the future, according to the statement. UNLV\u2019s Office of Student Conduct is also reviewing video and images from the incident to see if any actions reached the level of misconduct.<\/strong><\/p>\n The UNLV chapter of Nevadans for Palestinian Liberation posted a video of the incident. It also posted comments, including \u201cWe believe in the university\u2019s mission of #UNLVStrong in their promise to create and maintain an academic environment free from the threatening presence of hatred in all forms.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Asaf](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/lecture-858x482.jpg\")
Not Welcome on Campus<\/h2>\n
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Targeting Was Outrageous<\/h2>\n