Brooklyn, NY – Despite calls for fairness and threats of possible financial retribution, Brooklyn College will honor its co-sponsorship of an anti-Israel event at the school set for this coming Thursday.

A statement from the college president said that ‘equal consideration’ will be given to co-sponsoring future events featuring speakers from all political views.

According to the New York Times (http://nyti.ms/12q1yWP) controversy erupted last month as previously reported on VIN News, when the college’s political science department announced that it would be co-sponsoring an event exclusively featuring speakers from the pro-Palestinian group Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (B.D.S.). The group calls for boycotts, divestments and international sanctions against Israel, as well as a withdrawal by Israel from territories where Palestinians reside.

Brooklyn College president, Karen L. Gould, stated previously that while she does not personally share the views of the B.D.S., she supports its right to speak at the college.

In a statement released on Monday, Gould said, “Over the next two months, with the support of the Wolf Institute for the Humanities and other campus units and community groups, we will provide multiple opportunities for discussion about the topics and related subject matter at the heart of this controversy.”

Both civic leaders and alumni have called for the college to revoke its co-sponsorship of the event. Assistant majority leader of the City Council, Lewis A. Fidler, said the refusal of the college to cancel the event may affect future funding for the school.

“The issue here is the imprimatur of credibility given to this extremely hateful speech by a department of a public university,” Fidler said.

Brooklyn College alumnus and Harvard Law School professor, Alan Dershowitz, said that he has heard from many alumni who are contemplating withdrawing financial support from the school— but he is not.

“I will fight against the lack of neutrality of the polisci department,” said Dershowitz, but not against Brooklyn College.