Cross-party group of 100 MPs and peers berates Bristol University for inaction over David Miller and accuses him of bringing the University “into disrepute”
A cross-party group of over 100 MPs and peers have written to the University of Bristol accusing Prof. David Miller of “inciting hatred against Jewish students on your campus”.
Under the aegis of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism, the letter calls on the University to act against Prof. Miller, whom it accuses of “hate speech” and of having brought the University “into disrepute”.
Prof. Miller, a Professor of Political Sociology, is a conspiracy theorist with a history of controversy relating to Jewish students, and the letter was prompted by his latest outburst, when he asserted that “Zionism is racism” and declared his objective “to end Zionism as a functioning ideology of the world”.
In an online event, Prof. Miller complained of being criticised by the President of the Bristol University Jewish Society and accused the student group of being part of a worldwide Zionist conspiracy, adding that it is “fundamental to Zionism to encourage Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism”. Prof. Miller also observed that the Jewish Society and the Union of Jewish Students are Zionist, thereby implying that Jewish students (and the wider Jewish community) inherently “encourage Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism”.
He also portrayed the International Definition of Antisemitism as an attack on free speech and accused the Israeli Government of engaging in an “all-out attack” on the global Left as part of an “attempt by the Israelis to impose their will all over the world”.
In comments reminiscent of the darkest years of the United Nations, Prof. Miller insisted that “Zionism is racism” and asked how “we defeat the ideology of Zionism in practice”, “how is Zionism ended” and about the way “to end Zionism as a functioning ideology of the world”.
This is not Prof. Miller’s first controversy in relation to Jews, antisemitism and Zionism. Last June, Campaign Against Antisemitism revealed that Prof. Miller was behind disgraced MP Chris Williamson’s Resistance Movement. The group aimed to give a home to the “politically homeless” politicians who had been expelled from the Labour Party for antisemitism, such as Jackie Walker, Tony Greenstein and Mark Wadsworth.
Prof. Miller has a history of spouting conspiracy theories about various Jewish community organisations and figures that has reportedly discomfited his Jewish students. In a presentation titled “Harms of the Powerful”, for example, Prof. Miller suggested that the “Zionist movement” is one of the “five pillars” of hatred of Muslims (redolent of the five pillars of Islam) and is bankrolled by “ultra Zionist funders”. He has also suggested that Jewish interfaith dialogue with Muslim groups represents an Israeli-backed “Trojan horse” initiative to “normalise Zionism in the Muslim community”.
Prof. Miller has previously accused the current leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, of taking “Zionist money”, and he has talked about what he referred to as the “witch hunt” against Labour members accused of antisemitism.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has written to the University of Bristol.
Binyomin Gilbert, Programme Manager at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “David Miller is a conspiracy theorist who believes that Bristol’s Jewish Society and the entire nationwide Jewish student body ‘encourage Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism’. His teachings have been going on for years with no action taken despite deep ongoing concerns for the safety of Jewish students at Bristol University.
“The University’s silence on this subject is now so loud and clear that more than 100 political figures have had to publicly move in on this. You do not need to be a member of the Jewish community to understand that this crank conspiracy theorist has no place in academia. We commend all those that have shown support for Jewish students today by calling for action to be taken.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors the adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitism by universities. Bristol University adopted the Definition in November 2019.
If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected].
