“Universities urgently need to act, working with the police where necessary to see that unlawful anti-Semitic abuse is stamped out,” says Secretary of State for Education.
Over three quarters of respondents to a survey of students and staff at UK universities have felt intimidated or felt distress or fear as a result of anti-Israel demonstrators on Campus. 96% of the respondents identified as Jewish. Universities have been informed that they are breaching the law by discriminating against and harassing Jewish and Israeli students and staff.
Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson MP, has seen the report and told the Sunday Telegraph:
“Anti-Jewish hatred is abhorrent – no Jewish student should feel unsafe at university because of their identity and beliefs.
I am sickened to see that this survey has found it to be so widespread on our university campuses. Universities urgently need to act, working with the police where necessary to see that unlawful anti-Semitic abuse is stamped out.
Last month, we announced a refocused role for the Office for Students, taking the lead in eradicating all forms of discrimination and harassment in higher education.”
The report has also been sent to the vice chancellors of the UCL, Leeds, Imperial, Goldsmiths and LSE, where according to the survey, many of these problems had occurred.
UKLFI Charitable Trust, along with End Hate on Campus, carried out an electronic survey in which students and staff of different universities around the United Kingdom were invited to respond to whether and how anti-Israel demonstrations, in particular the encampments at their campuses had impacted them and their studies or work.
76% of respondents have felt intimidated by anti-Israel demonstrators on campus.
Out of those who answered “yes” to whether they have been intimidated by anti-Israel demonstrators on campus, 73% said that their studies or work have been affected by the demonstrations. Lecturers had cancelled lectures and students were unable to access classrooms and libraries due to hallways and entrances being blocked.
Students avoided campus demonstration days due to feeling threat, fear and anxiety, and as a result have missed lectures and workshops. Academics and staff members also chose to work from home to avoid the protests and missed important department events and meetings.
Students have seen antisemitic graffiti and posters at their campuses, including swastikas and the phrases “kikes out”, “Up Hamas” and “Death 2 Zionism”.
Distress or Fear
A total of 78% of the respondents said they had experienced distress or fear due to the demonstrations taking place at their university campuses. They described the demonstrators at the encampments as “hateful, mob like and dangerous” and “vile, violent, literally call[ing] for the death of my people”.
Some students described being perceived as a “hostile presence just by going to campus as an Israeli and Jewish student” and that they have been “made to feel that [they] are directly responsible for the unfortunate loss of life in Gaza”.
Most students and staff described feeling scared to appear “visibly Jewish” when on campus. More than one student described protesters “unconditionally supporting” or “justifying” Palestinian “resistance” by any means, and other messages of encouragement or support for terrorist activity.
One member of staff had found signs which said “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” to be “hurtful, anxiety triggering and intimidating” and that they were “not prepared to put [themselves] in a position to experience this as part of [their] work”.
A student at a different university recalled seeing signs saying, “we are all anti-Zionist” written in Hebrew at their university, which they found “very intimidating and provocative…they do not want me and over 95% of other Jews, identifying as Zionist, being on campus.”
UKLFI has written to five of the universities, where most of the problems reported in the survey had occurred, firstly giving the universities the results of the survey, where it pertained to their university, and also pointing out where the Universities had breached legislation by allowing the encampments and protests to continue.
UKLFI has informed the universities that they are likely to be in breach of the Equality Act 2010 by discriminating against Israeli, Jewish and Zionist staff and students and by acts of harassment for which they may be liable.
Furthermore, much of the language that staff and students have complained of is antisemitic, according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (“IHRA”) definition of antisemitism. The relevant examples that have been breached are:
- “Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion”;
- “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour”; and
- “Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.”
Caroline Turner, of UKLFI Charitable Trust commented: “We hope that this survey, showing the terrible harm that the encampments have been doing to students and lecturers, will encourage those universities who have not already done so, to shut them down, and those that have shut them down, not to allow them to start up again. The Secretary of State should look at these issues very seriously, and take steps to protect students who are being harassed and intimidated, and whose studies are being affected by these protests.”