The University of Glasgow has outlined a series of steps it is taking to combat antisemitism and prevent the spread of extremist rhetoric on campus, following engagement with UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).

UKLFI first wrote to the University in November 2025 raising concerns about the activities of Glasgow University Justice for Palestine Society (GUJPS), and the contents of an affiliated publication, ‘The Gaza Guardian’,

GUJPS’s publicly available social media posts included

• calls for “death to the enemy and all collaborators”;
• celebration of the 7 October 2023 Hamas massacre as “the glorious Al-Aqsa Flood”;
• praise for Yahya Sinwar as a “freedom fighter” and “martyr”;
• endorsement of an Oxford student’s chant “Gaza, Gaza, Make us Proud, Put the Zios in the Ground”; and
• demands for “the banning of all Zionists from campus”.

The first issue of ‘The Gaza Guardian’, dated 15 September 2025 praised the Al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas’s military wing) and urged readers to “stand in resolute solidarity with the armed resistance in Palestine and their allies in the Axis of Resistance”. It also called on readers to dedicate their careers, wealth and time “to fighting in Allah’s cause”, characterising failure to do so as disobedience to God.

A follow-up letter was sent in February 2026 after the University failed to respond. The University replied in April, detailing a number of concrete actions aimed at protecting Jewish students and staff and addressing some of the UKLFI’s concerns. These include:

• banning GUJPS from campus facilities, preventing it from booking rooms or hosting events on university premises;
• intervening to stop affiliated student groups from collaborating with GUJPS;
• contacting those behind the publication to demand removal of inflammatory content;
• monitoring social media activity linked to the group; and
• working closely with Police Scotland where necessary.

UKLFI subsequently provided the University with details of a second issue of ‘The Gaza Guardian’. This included:

• quotations attributed to deceased Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and an image of him being embraced by deceased Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh;
• praise for a deceased Hamas spokesperson, Abu Obeida, as a “beloved Qassami martyr”’;
• mourning several Hamas members;
• presentation of the 7 October 2023 attacks as a strategic model, urging readers to look to “the history-shattering power of Al-Aqsa Flood to know that the greatest plans are laid in silence”;
• characterising Israeli society’s “very existence” as violent and describes Israel as a “regional cancer implanted by the UK”; and
• an article attributed to a tutor at the University which described the 7 October Hamas attack as “historic” and asserted that “the zionist project harvests the skin and organs of Palestinian martyrs, with the zionist entity having the largest skin bank in the world with the lowest rate of donors.”

The tutor’s apparent involvement with the Gaza Guardian raises serious concerns regarding professional conduct, academic competence and the University’s obligations to ensure a safe and non-hostile environment for Jewish students and staff.

UKLFI also pointed out that  it is likely that these publications breach section 12(1A) of the Terrorism Act 2000, which makes it an offence to express an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation where a person is reckless as to whether others may be encouraged to support that organisation.

Furthermore, according to section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, universities have a statutory duty to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.  

The University is also likely to be breaching the Equality Act 2010, because of the discrimination against and harassment of Jewish, Israeli and Zionist students and staff. The content of the publications may also stir up racial or religious hatred under section 4 of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, and appears to conflict with multiple University policies.

Challenges Remain Over Anonymous Activity

The University acknowledged that GUJPS and The Gaza Guardian are not formally affiliated with the institution and that it has not yet identified those responsible for producing the publication. UKLFI is continuing to press for further action, particularly to identify those responsible for producing and distributing The Gaza Guardian.

A spokesperson for UKLFI said: “Glasgow University is right to crack down on antisemitism and extremist rhetoric. But it is deeply concerning that those responsible for this material remain unidentified. Without accountability, there is a real risk that this behaviour will continue unchecked. We hope that the University will now take concrete steps to identify those responsible and ensure that appropriate action is taken, both to protect Jewish students and staff and to ensure that its legal duties are properly fulfilled