Universities Must Act Quickly on Antisemitism

Education minsters have written to university vice-chancellors in England over the welfare of Jewish students. Gillian Keegan and Robert Halfon have asked that universities “act swiftly and decisively against any threats” to students’ safety and welfare.

It follows reports of some student societies sending out inflammatory messages showing support for Hamas, following its attack on Israel.

More than 2,700 people have been killed in Israel and Gaza since 7 October.

The letter said ministers have seen evidence of messages that “either implicitly or explicitly show support for Hamas”, which is “a proscribed terrorist organisation”.

“The effects of these statements are already being felt by Jewish students, many of whom are being made to feel that they need to hide their Jewish identity,” it said.

The BBC is reporting that the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) has welcomed the guidance and says it has had pleas for help from students who do not feel comfortable openly expressing their Judaism while on campus.

“We have received reports of Jewish students who have been harassed, intimidated and abused,” UJS explained, and said it was urging universities to take a “zero-tolerance policy” for those who support terror.

Adam Habib, the director of SOAS University of London, told the BBC the campus hosts both Jewish and Palestinian staff and students, and that the conflict is a “substantive area of debate” at times.

He said concerns for Jewish students are “entirely legitimate”, but he believes the letter is just “symbolic” and “unhelpful” as universities are already taking action when they have concerns.

Being asked to police students for waving Palestinian flags or shouting certain slogans is “not a reasonable request” he said, adding the university is already making sure students are safe and taking action when people feel threatened or break the law.

Universities are “safe spaces” and critical debate should be allowed, he added.

There have been issues around antisemitism on campuses in the past.

In January, an independent investigation found the National Union of Students (NUS) had failed to sufficiently challenge antisemitism and hostility towards Jews. The NUS apologised to Jewish students following the report.

The letter from Ms Keegan and Mr Halfon made no specific reference to protecting Palestinian students, although there is pre-existing guidance on how to handle Islamophobia on campus, issued long before the current conflict.

In 2021, Universities UK told universities to focus on increasing understanding of Islam and Islamophobia as a means of prevention, and to respond robustly when incidents occur.

The letter also reminded universities of their Prevent duty, which requires all education providers “to help prevent the risk of people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism”.

It asked vice-chancellors to “pay particular attention to any invitations” to speakers on this subject to ensure that events do not provide a platform for “illegal speech”.

The Office for Students, the regulator of higher education in England, works on behalf of the government to monitor what is being done in institutions to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.

Arif Ahmed, its first director for freedom of speech and academic freedom, said higher education providers “should uphold free speech within the law for everyone”, but this does not include “discrimination against, or harassment of, Jewish students”.

“Encouraging terrorism, including glorifying the commission or preparation of acts of terrorism, fund-raising for the purposes of terrorism and inviting support for a proscribed terrorist organisation, are all criminal offences” he added.

Many universities are already offering support to students with family and other connections in the region.

Among them is Queen’s University Belfast, which says it recognises the need to “ensure tolerance, sensitivity and respect for differing viewpoints and opinions”.

It says it will provide a space for students, staff, and the wider community “to discuss and debate a wide range of local and global issues on campus” all within a framework of “respect for the rights of other persons”.

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has been a point of contention on UK campuses for many years.