“Propaganda” in a Birmingham University lecture has been challenged by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).

UKLFI was contacted by several students who were deeply concerned about the lecture on “Citizenship and Disability – The case of the Palestinian Occupied Territory” and accompanying Powerpoint presentation which took place on 8 February 2024.

UKLFI has written to Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham.

UKLFI’s letter points out that the slides

• include the notorious four historical maps, which misleadingly compare private ownership with political administration, present unimplemented proposals as actual administration, and label as “today” a map which bears no relationship to any current state of affairs.

• make bogus allegations that Israel has had a deliberate strategy of maiming Palestinians.

• claim that pre 7 October 2023 that there was “limited healthcare” in Gaza, despite a life expectancy in Gaza comparable to Glasgow.

• incorrectly claim that Israel bars Palestinians from living in 68% of Israeli towns and from all but 38% of the West Bank; and that Palestinians who left in 1948 have been barred by Israel from returning to the West Bank or Gaza Strip since then.

• ignore the massacres by Hamas and other terrorists on 7^th October;

• don’t mention the misuse by Hamas of hospitals, schools, universities and other civilian buildings for military purposes;

• ignore the recruitment of child soldiers by Hamas and other terrorist groups.

• link to a video by Amnesty International promoting false allegations of apartheid.

Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UKLFI, commented regarding the Amnesty International video: “It is difficult to see any justification for its gratuitous inclusion in this lecture, or indeed any purpose other than to whip up hostility towards Israel and towards students associated with Israel.”

UKLFI pointed out that the University and its staff are required by section 91 of the Equality Act 2010 to avoid any harassment of or discrimination against students related to any protected characteristics, which include Jewish religion or ethnicity or Zionism. Harassment includes unwanted conduct that has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.

Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UKLFI said: “It appears to us that the lecture was likely to create an intimidating, hostile and offensive environment for Jewish students, even if this was not its purpose, and was therefore not within the law.”

The University must in any case accommodate respect for academic freedom with its obligation under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 to have due regard to the need to eliminate harassment related to a protected characteristic and to foster good relations between those sharing a protected characteristic and those not sharing it. Particularly during the current war in the Middle East, this requires the University to take special care to avoid inflaming relations between students of different ethnicities and religions.

UKLFI also complained about a demonstration at the University held on 7 February 2024, which included a banner demanding “Zionists off our campus” and chants of “death to Zionists”.

Jonathan Turner explained to Birmingham’s vice chancellor that most British Jews are Zionists, and that UKLFI considers that Zionism is itself a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.