‘Outrageous lie’: Asma Jahangir moot organiser rejects alleged manhandling of pro-Palestine protesters

Journalist Munizae Jahangir on Tuesday rejected allegations that people protesting in support of Gaza were manhandled by staff of the 5th Asma Jahangir Conference and termed than an “outrageous lie”.

The 5th Asma Jahangir Conference, titled ‘People’s Mandate: Safeguarding Civil Rights in South Asia’, took place in Lahore over the weekend. A pro-Palestine protester had interrupted and chanted slogans during the German ambassador’s speech on civil rights at the conference on Saturday.

Just moments after the ambassador began his speech, the protester could be heard saying, “Excuse me, Mr ambassador. I am shocked by the audacity that you are here to talk about civil rights while your country is brutally abusing the people speaking for the rights of the Palestinians.”

The Progressive Students Collective (PSC) said its members had “exposed the hypocrisy of German ambassador” and also lashed out at the conference organisers, saying they had “forcefully silenced the voices of students while platforming the facilitators of Pal[estinian] gen[ocide]”. It had also alleged that the organisers “assaulted the students and peeled their skin off”.

The ambassador’s action of telling the protesters to get out had triggered criticism on social media. Lahore-based academic and activist Ammar Ali Jan had also alleged that the student protesters were “dragged and beaten up”.

In a response posted to her account on social media platform X today, conference organiser Munizae said the moot’s management “emphatically denies having beaten up the crowd that chanted slogans” as alleged by Jan.

“It’s an outrageous lie, especially when several cameras were there to capture everything. Once the protest was lodged, women lawyers requested the crowd of men to sit down but they became aggressive and refused to do so.”

She said there were “huge security concerns” at the conference and the organisers could not let the disruption continue. “We had to proceed further and feared that the commotion may spiral and lead to a security breach,” she explained.

“One of the organisers went to speak to the male protesters after the incident and invited them to the Gaza session, however, sadly the protesters did not attend the session,” she rued.

“We are committed to freedom of speech unconditionally,” Munizae said, adding that the hoped the media would be far in reporting the issue.

She called for coverage to be provided for the session on Gaza where Francesca Albanese — the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories — spoke along with several other pro-Palestinian voices.

“Francesca Albanese called the killings in Gaza a genocide which was a significant statement,” she said.

“Several speakers, including ones opening and closing the conference, called upon an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to hold Israel accountable for war crimes,” Munizae added.

She concluded that the conference was a platform that was “open to all” and believed in a “meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders” on human rights issues.

The fighting in Gaza since the October 7 attack by Israeli has led to a devastating Israeli military offensive that has killed over 34,000 Palestinians, with many women and children.

Germany has been among the countries foremost in its support to Israel, particularly with sales of arms. Nicaragua has hauled Germany before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to demand judges impose emergency measures to stop Berlin from providing Israel with weapons and other assistance.

Lawyers for Nicaragua have argued Germany is in breach of the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention, set up in the wake of the Holocaust, by furnishing Israel with weapons.