Student relationship condemns doctor, calls for investigation ,
University of California, Berkeley Law Professor Jonathan Gould just quit teaching a class without giving a purpose after a disagreement with a pupil wearing pro-Palestinian clothes.
” The fight between UC Berkeley Law professor Jonathan Gould and Berkeley Law student Zaid Yousef occurred over Yousef’s crewneck, which depicted three details of the American Mission for Palestine, with designs including a fruit on March 5. Gould withdrew from the training the next day, no citing a purpose”, The Daily Californian reported.
Professor Gould has not yet responded to The Fix‘s internet asking why he withdrew from teaching the course.
Students in the class said the doctor spoke to them about “free talk and decorum”. Yousef challenged the doctor, assuming Gould’s comment referred to his crewneck.
The pupil and teacher discussed the image on Yousef’s sweater for a few minutes, which led to Gould walking out of the group, the professor had “likened the symbols on the crewneck to the southern flag”, The Daily Californian reported.
” There needs to be a distinct class that’s looked at, which is now particularly anti-Palestinian prejudice, in which a teacher feels comfortable implying that a symbol of national nature is a dislike symbol”, Yousef reportedly told the newspaper.
” I think this would be entirely unacceptable if, for example, someone were to reflect the Mexican flag or the Pakistani symbol, or any symbol besides Palestine is a love sign, that a scholar should be humiliated officially for wearing it. So there does need to be some sort of action”, the student said.
During a classroom discussion led by co-instructor Christopher Kutz after the incident, students voiced support for Yousef’s free speech rights.
In an Instagram post last week, the Student Association at Berkeley Law condemned the professor” for engaging in discrimination and public denigration of a student for expressing their cultural identity”.
Gould had also previously reprimanded Zaid over a pro-Palestinian sticker on his phone, labeling it offensive, according to the post.
” We stand in full solidarity with Zaid and all students who face discrimination or harassment for expressing their cultural or national heritage”, SABL stated.
The group urged Berkeley Law administration to act swiftly in response to this issue and launch a detailed investigation into Professor Gould’s behavior. It also called for new safeguards to avoid similar incidents moving forward.
IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: Professor Gould speaks during a Zoom event, UC Berkeley School of Law/Youtube
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