In a post published last Friday, the SRC publicised a statement from SRC Women’s Officer Gabi Stricker-Phelps made in response to Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) posters calling for a boycott of Puma.
The posters were put up around campus following Puma’s decision to sponsor the Israeli national football team.
Stricker-Phelps claimed “no other Football Association in the Middle East would hold a game to end homophobia, or which celebrated having a transgender player.”
The post faced immediate and significant criticism for pink-washing, a term which describes the process of instrumentalising queer rights to excuse or distract from problematic behaviour.
Many commenters pointed out Israel’s treatment of queer Palestinians, which has often involved blackmailing them to coerce them into espionage.
Beyond criticisms for obvious Zionism, SRC President Jacky He was also called out for the undemocratic nature of the post. Autonomous Collective Against Racism (ACAR) Convenor Swapnik Sanagavarapu called out He for posting “the opinions of an office-bearer as a representative of the SRC without even a shred of discussion at council.”
The SRC has historically run numerous campaigns supporting the BDS movement. Throughout 2018, multiple office-bearers passed motions supporting pro-Palestinian activism, as well as a motion congratulating the Women’s Honi cover depicting a Palestinian freedom fighter.
Read the article in Honi Soit.