TITLE: Miami Teacher Fired for Views On Palestine

AUTHOR:

PUB: Palestine Media Watch

DATE: March 9, 2001

Dear all: Last Friday, March 2, our own Michael Lopez-Calderon was effectively fired from his job as teacher at the Rabbi Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy in Miami-Beach for his activities at Palestine Media Watch. Michael was accused by anonymous monitors of the Palestine Media Watch mailing list of endorsing violence against Israelis when he stated in one of his emails that Palestinians have the right to resist the Israeli Defense Forces through violence when necessary. An account of Michael's ordeal is given in today's Miami Herald. Needless to say that Palestine Media Watch is shocked and dismayed over this development. It is extremely troubling that personal political opinions expressed outside of one's professional setting could result in punitive actions against the individual expressing those opinions. It is the definition of discrimination on political grounds, and it is shocking and shameful that such discrimination would occur here in the United States of America, where freedom of speech and expression are basic rights. (See http://www.pmwatch.org/pmw/calderon) At this stage of the game, our goal is to: (1) Write to the Miami Herald in support of Michael. HeraldEd@herald.com cc: ELINOR J BRECHER ebrecher@herald.com bcc: pmw-letters@yahoogroups.com (2) Publicize this story far and wide and to mobilize in strong support of Michael. Please contact your local paper and send them our press release. Contact information for papers, a comprehensive list of papers. (3) Sign a petition in support of Michael. (4) Send a solidarity email to Michael Lopez-Calderon. Being terminated from a job you did well and enjoyed for 5 years is a traumatic experience. He needs all out support. Please email him at: Agrippa727@cs.com IMPORTANT: Michael asks to refrain from attacking the school administration itself. The action against Michael was not initiated by them, but rather by some anonymous people who mobilized the parents. Our goal at this point is to create a PR nightmare for the pro-Occupation backers rather and spread the news far and wide about what happened. Many more actions are in the works as we coordinate with various groups and organizations around the country and the world. Please stay tuned. A web site has been developed to keep you updated on Michael's case. Please go to: http://www.pmwatch.org/pmw/calderon Ahmed Bouzid, President Palestine Media Watch END top