An interview with David Miller
JVL Introduction
David Miller has gone on the record, giving his account of the events at Bristol University which culminated in his recent dismissal in an interview published by Politics Today.
His reflections towards the end of the wider implications of this case are particularly interesting, for instance his suggestion that the growth of pro-Israel organizations in recent years is not because there has been an upswing of support for Israeli, but precisely becuse of its decline.
As is the issue he raises of how very difficult it is for institutions that have to deal with the question of antisemitism and inequalities, to even contemplate the possibility that some of the allegations might be made in bad faith…
This article was originally published by Politics Today on Mon 8 Nov 2021. Read the original here.
“I was Fired from the University of Bristol Despite Being Cleared of Anti-Semitism” - An Interview with David Miller
David Miller was a professor of political sociology at the University of Bristol in the UK, but he was fired following a campaign by the Israel lobby over his criticism of Israel. No complaint was ever made to the University by a student of Professor Miller’s. A Queens Counsel (QC) cleared him of accusations of anti-Semitism, however, the university still decided to fire him because it was claimed that his comments ‘annoyed’ or ‘upset’ a small number of pro-Israel students, none of which he had ever taught. Politics Today spoke to Miller about what happened with him and academic freedom in the UK in the context of the Palestine/Israel issue.
Loading article text…
Sorry you’ve had to go through this. Anyone know when Prof Miller’s appeal to the University against his dismissal is coming up? Also, haven’t heard anything about support or lack of it from his Union. Prof Stock’s Union in Sussex University not only failed to support her but disgracefully came out in support of opposition to her. Interesting to hear about ongoing cases in other universities….we’ve had the case in Glasgow decided on yesterday in a very positive way for our side….we need information about the others so that petitions can be organised, like the 600 signature petition to Glasgow university. We don’t want to lose Prof Miller to a “free speech” University in Texas led by Niall Ferguson!
Love & Solidarity to the courageous Professor Miller.
The cases of Kathleen Stock and David Miller are completely different. Kathleen Stock was supported by her university administration, not hounded by them. Sussex university didn’t take any notice of the complaints of students: it vilified them. She wasn’t sacked – she resigned. She leant her support to openly transphobic organisations – siding with the oppressors, not the oppressed. UCU stuck to its policy of opposition to transphobia, didn’t mention Kathleen Stock and couldn’t act in support of her anyway, as she wasn’t a member of the union.
Love & Solidarity to the courageous Professor Miller.
Interesting, and very upsetting for Prof. Miller. what however also need pointing out is that this strategy of targeting people supporting Palestine or criticising Zionism or the state of Israel’s actions is also hijacked by the British political right, as a handy tool to attack the political left. Cue the relentless attacks on Corbyn, which shifted from him being a Russian spy and whatnot to him being an AS as soon as they saw how effective that was.
Jews are not responsible for what Israel does but if you conflate Zionism with Judaism?
Re: “there’s been also investment of money and in organizational capacity to set up new organizations, the function of which is to troll, to bludgeon, to complain, to make up stuff, to dredge up facts or seeming facts from the past, and to use these to target people in local councils and schools and trade unions and the universities, to remove a whole cadre of people who will stand up for Palestinians”
Seemingly this is what happens at a SURPRISINGLY local level too, suggesting the UK effort is staggeringly well-resourced and well-organised.
For example, if you look up back copies of “The Friend” from a few years ago, there are letters from several different Quaker Meetings saying they’d been pressurised not to hire out their (low cost) accommodation to pro-Palestinian organisations or to support Palestinians by selling their products (eg olive oil). It’s very, very rare for Meetings and Meeting Houses to be subjected to intimidation by any external organisation or groups of individuals.
Meetings act independently – so one Meeting decided to resist what felt like bullying, another to change their hiring policy while feeling caught between competing rights and sensitivities.
My Work on the Miller Case – see https://www.academia.edu/61277626/My_work_on_the_Miller_Case
Live links to all the articles below can be found in this article.
Professor David Miller is a Bristol academic researching power and lobbying who was sacked by his university on 1 October because he “did not meet the standards of behaviour we expect from our staff.” This came after a prolonged campaign involving the press, parliament, and the police, but most likely the final decision came when it was announced that legal action would be taken against Bristol by the CAA. I have argued that named groups (such as the political website Harry’s Place) have been involved in orchestrating the campaign against Miller, obviously out of a concern for Miller’s research that looked into parts of the Zionist movement causing Islamophobia. That is, I reject the alternative narrative suggesting the issue was Miller’s teaching of young Jewish students that had made them uncomfortable (as manifesting antisemitism or even hate speech).
In what follows I will detail some of my work as touching on Miller.
Thus, as well as Harry’s Place, a major protagonist is the CST who publish an annual report on antisemitic discourse. Miller was first mentioned in their 2018, and I have a long review here.
(1) (PDF) The 2018 CST Report on Antisemitic Discourse | Chris S Friel – Academia.edu
With four others Miller published Bad News for Labour for which I have both a short and a long review.
(1) (PDF) Bad News for Labour a Short Review | Chris S Friel – Academia.edu
(1) (PDF) Bad News for Labour Worse News for Everyone | Chris S Friel – Academia.edu
Miller came under intense pressure in March 2021, and I have defended his cause against Daniel Finkelstein here,
(2) (PDF) In Defence of David Miller | Chris S Friel – Academia.edu
David Feldman here,
(2) (PDF) The Feldman Solution | Chris S Friel – Academia.edu
Oliver Kamm here,
(2) (PDF) David Miller, Oliver Kamm, and Academic Inquiry | Chris S Friel – Academia.edu
and Keith Kahn-Harris here.
(2) (PDF) The Other Dimension to Miller’s “Flatland” | Chris S Friel – Academia.edu
Most significant is the attack by David Hirsh, and I have a defence here.
(2) (PDF) The Demeaning of Miller | Chris S Friel – Academia.edu
A chief objective has been to sort out a detailed chronology which I did by making a series of points and so constructing a timeline which formed part of the above-mentioned, and most significant piece responding to Hirsh.. After this was written the Jewish News made a significant contribution, an exclusive giving voice to one of the anonymous students who complained via the CST in February 2019, and I have a response here.
(2) (PDF) When the Shield of David was Removed | Chris S Friel – Academia.edu
I argue that key “conductors” of the “orchestra” engaged in the UK antisemitism crisis against the UK LP (“purposely timed hysteria”) were also behind the scenes of the anti-Miller campaign. I have over four score on this, but will mention a summary statement here,
(2) (PDF) MuralGate as a Distraction from Gaza: Smear and Smokescreen | Chris S Friel – Academia.edu
and because it has been suggested that the police investigation (for which I made a long submission here)
(2) (PDF) A Witness Statement re the David Miller Witch-hunt | Chris S Friel – Academia.edu
was instigated as a result of the complaint of Jonathan Hoffman, who with Richard Millett has long been a staple of pro-Israel activism in the UK, I shall also mention several pieces, here,
(2) (PDF) Corbyn versus Millett: the First Five Days | Chris S Friel – Academia.edu
here,
(2) (PDF) On Recalling a Reckless Conversation | Chris S Friel – Academia.edu
and here.
(2) (PDF) The Interrupters: On a History Lesson by Jeremy Corbyn | Chris S Friel – Academia.edu
The relevance of these last papers is that they relate to impending libel action by Richard Millett against Jeremy Corbyn.
Thanks Philip Ward…hadn’t realised she was not in a union. MSM didn’t report that.
Not too sure that any of those involved in the action against Stock were students in Sussex Uni. As for her supporting “openly transphobic organisations”…I don’t buy that….there are many side to debate….many in the trans camp want to close down debate. Your comment on this is much like suggesting that ALL criticism of Israel and support for Palestine is anti semitic….because some claim it.
<<Sussex university didn’t take any notice of the complaints of students: it vilified them. She wasn’t sacked – she resigned. She leant her support to openly transphobic organisations – siding with the oppressors, not the oppressed.<<
Reading this fills me with rage at the injustice of everything that has happened to David Miller and others. Here’s hoping that it’s true that the Zionist movement is declining in numbers and facing collapse. Not a day too soon.
Reply to Sean O’Donoghue:
I don’t quite know where you got the idea that it wasn’t Sussex students protesting Kathleen Stock’s views, except that it is the case that only Stock’s position has been represented in most of the MSM (the Guardian has several anti-trans journalists and only Owen Jones supporting trans rights).
In a university of nearly 20,000 students there are likely to be over a hundred trans and non-binary people and in any case you don’t have to be trans to join such protests, just as you don’t have to be a Palestinian to demonstrate against the Israeli regime or its representatives. Amelia Jones, trans and non-binary officer of SUSU was interviewed by the BBC, as a representative of the students – and suffered attacks from Kathleen Stock as a result.
As to Stock’s views and activities, they are discussed in the following articles:
What went on at Sussex etc:
https://grace.substack.com/p/the-uk-media-has-seriously-bungled
An account of Stock’s views and her reply (these predate the latest events):
https://www.praile.com/post/kathleen-stock-obe
https://kathleenstock.com/response-to-christa-petersons-blog/
A more general article on transphobia that also touches on Stock:
https://anticapitalistresistance.org/transphobia-yet-again/
It is horrific how our higher education is being interfered with in this way and at the behest of a foreign country. If that country was China or Russia or Iran, there would be uproar and outrage from the establishment MPs and media. My apologies for this fact being so obvious and often observed by others.
Full support to David Miller and Kathleen Stock. Stock was in UCU and resigned because of lack of support from her local and national union. The University admin supported her belatedly. Too little too late. One might argue that it is constructive dismissal. Both academics are the victims of activists who have more clout than support, either in academia or among the general public. The Israeli lobby and the transactivist lobby do not brook debate and rely on smear tactics and bullying to shut down criticism of their position. Hence the similarity between the two cases.
I read when Chris Williamson was Education Secretary he threatened any universities who did not sign up to the contentious IHRA definition on antisemitism would have funding withheld, this is an attack on free speech as well as imposing this government’s right wing ideology on universities. I wish Professor Miller success with his case and hope we do not lose him to a university abroad. Thank you JVL for continuing to shine a light on the plight of Palastinians, always with the oppressed, never with the oppressor.
In reply to Eleanor Gordon: There is no similarity between the cases of Kathleen Stock and David Miller, unless you think that trans people are not oppressed. The fact that they are is what makes trans people very angry, especially when people adopt argument that essentially deny their existence as trans – a direct analogy with the views of some Zionists about Palestinians.
Perhaps Eleanor has inside knowledge on why Kathleen Stock left the UCU. I can’t see any statement by Stock on the matter. From the UCU’s point of view, even if she had remained a member they were never required to defend her job, as it was not under threat from Sussex University administration.
Here is an account of what a union might or might not do in such circumstances:
https://www.rs21.org.uk/2021/11/02/when-is-it-right-for-a-union-to-support-dismissal/
Linda P : I think you mean Gavin Williamson, had me very puzzled there for a while!
Thank you JVL for your much appreciated work.