Education Secretary Gavin Williamson: “there have been appalling incidents directed at the Jewish community at leading London universities”
The Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, has observed that “there have been appalling incidents directed at the Jewish community at leading London universities.”
Mr Williamson made the remark in an opinion editorial in which he affirmed that if universities do not defend free speech, the Government will do so. His reference to incidents impacting Jewish students was in the context of noting how “activists’ threats are able to shut down events.”
For years Jewish students have seen their events diluted by university authorities or found fellow students and other activists imported from off campus disrupting the events with protests that sometimes even turn violent.
Last year, the Equality and Human Rights Commission published a report showing that two-thirds of students who said that they had experienced racial harassment during the first half of the 2018/19 academic year did not report it to their university.
The Universities minister, Chris Skidmore, has called on universities to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism, with the Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick suggesting that public funding for institutions that fail to do so may be in jeopardy.
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].