WHEN news filtered through on Tuesday that Queen's University had cut all links with an American politician of international renown, it's fair to say that many folks in these parts thought, “About time they dismissed Hillary Clinton.”
For as Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast, Mrs Clinton has besmirched its fine reputation with her shameless defence of Israel's continuing genocide in Gaza and her crude attempts to silence and to censor those who have the courage to oppose it.
Indeed, it's only a few short months since Chancellor Clinton was scolding American students who had braved government and college censure in the US to denounce Israel's scorched earth policy in Gaza, a policy which has enjoyed the support of both Democratic and Republican administrations in Washington DC since the slaughter began.
Speaking of the Israeli onslaught which has left nary a school, hospital – or university – standing in the Gaza Strip, Mrs Clinton suggested the young critics "did not know history" and were watching "made up videos" and "pure propaganda" on TikTok. Much had to be done, she opined, to explain why the US had to vigorously support Israel.
Those comments came on December 2 past — after Israel's vengeful campaign of death and destruction had taken the lives of 20,000 children.
To its credit, Queen's has ended academic links with Israel but to utter not a peep about their Chancellor's defence of the indefensible demonstrates a lack of consistency, if not courage.
In fact, as readers know, Queen's had acted to divorce itself not from Mrs Clinton but from the Good Friday Agreement negotiator (and former QUB Chancellor) George Mitchell due to claims about his connections with the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
As part of Mr Mitchell's cancellation, his bust outside the university was disappeared and the department which was named in his honour — and which for years successfully traded on his reputation as a peacemaker — removed his moniker.
In a city where statues even to the most odious individuals – witness the statue of the Famine Queen Victoria outside City Hall — are rarely removed, it was a now-you-see-it-now-you-don't scene change which would have made the nearby Lyric Theatre proud.
We are appalled at Mr Mitchell's apparent connections to serial sex offender Epstein but perhaps the person who earned the same university millions of dollars and brought it international fame and attention deserved to have his offence assessed after he had a chance to make his defence.
But that's clearly not the approach QUB is taking. Now that it has moved to disassociate itself from one Chancellor, why not – as Mrs Clinton prepares to testify to Congress about what she knows about Jeffrey Epstein and his crimes – make it a double?
