Jewish student reportedly told “Hamas is not a terrorist organisation” at UCL welcome fair
Campaign Against Antisemitism has spoken directly to a Jewish student who has reported a torrent of antisemitism at University College London (UCL) over just two months.
On 25th September, whilst at the University’s welcome fair, Evelyn, a Jewish student, told us that another student said, “October 7th was justified and reasonable” and that “Hamas is not a terrorist organisation.”
In an e-mail exchange seen by Campaign Against Antisemitism, a Senior Casework Officer at UCL told Evelyn regarding this incident: “I am sorry to hear about the circumstances you have raised. I have reviewed your report and whilst I appreciate that you disagreed with the comment made by the individual, this does not amount to a disciplinary offence that would warrant an investigation under the Student Disciplinary procedure, nor would we consider this a breach of UCL’s Freedom of Speech policy. This is because it appears that the comment was not directed at you personally, but an expression of a view on a highly publicised matter. On this basis, no further action will be taken on this matter.”
When Evelyn responded, “Thank you for your clarification. I just want to confirm that you are referring to the student who expressed support for Hamas?”, the caseworker replied: “Yes, that’s correct.”
She also told us that later that month, when discussing the massacre on 7th October, another student said that “no babies were killed” and that accounts had been greatly exaggerated. After she reported this matter to the University’s administration, she was advised to speak to the Students’ Union. According to Evelyn, when she had a meeting with officers within the Union, however, she was told that they only use the International Definition of Antisemitism for “educational purposes, not for regulatory or disciplinary purposes”. When she asked what their policy on antisemitism was, she was told that they didn’t have it to hand. The Definition was adopted by the University in 2019.
On 7th October 2023, genocidal, antisemitic Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, where they committed barbaric, twisted acts of terror.
They murdered some 1,200 innocent people in cold blood, raping and torturing along the way, and took more than 250 hostage, ranging in age from babies to the elderly.
Evelyn also told us that on 30th September of this year, a “study-in” was organised at the Student Centre where students had signs on their laptops reading: “Never again means never again for anyone.”
The phrase “Never again” is believed to have originated from a poem by Israeli writer Yitzhak Lamdan. It was widely popularised in the aftermath of the Holocaust, with its survivors vowing never to forget those who were murdered at the hands of the Nazis.
On 3rd October, Evelyn reported that a Palestine protest took place directly in front of UCL, meaning that students were unable to use the entrance. She told us that the University declined to take action, claiming that it was not technically on UCL premises. During the protest, she heard “Zionists unwanted here,” “Resistance is justified” and “United in the struggle to abolish Zionism off campus”.
Zionism is the belief in Jewish self-determination, a right afforded to all peoples of the world under Article 1 of the UN Charter.
80% of British Jews consider themselves to be Zionists; only 6% do not, according to our polling.
According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination” is an example of antisemitism.
On 7th October of this year, the second anniversary of the Hamas massacre, an ‘inter-university’ march was organised, consisting of a coordinated protest between King’s College London, the London School of Economics, UCL and SOAS. Evelyn told us that she heard rhetoric such as “Long live the intifada” and “F*** you. F*** you Israhell” during the protest.
The intifada was a campaign of murderous Palestinian terrorism, including suicide bombings, that killed more than 1,000 Jews. Hamas was one of the leading terror groups involved.
Last month, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed that calls to “globalise the Intifada” represent a call to attack Jewish communities around the world.
Leaked audio appeared to show that during a recent event, organised by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a UCL student society, Dr Samar Maqusi, a “former fixed-term researcher” at the University, relayed the Damascus Affair to the audience. The Damascus Affair is a known antisemitic blood libel in which Jews were baselessly accused of murdering an Italian monk and his servant to make matzah, a ceremonial food eaten by Jews during the festival of Passover.
Dr Maqusi apparently failed to explain the part where this has since been debunked as an anti-Jewish blood libel, instead appearing to say: “Do investigate. Draw your own narrative.”
According to the Definition, “Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism, e.g. blood libel, to characterise Israel or Israelis” is an example of antisemitism.
The blood libel is a malicious and dangerous lie that has incited violence against Jews for centuries. It falsely accuses Jews of using the blood of others for their own gain. It continues to be a major aspect of antisemitism today.
Dr Maqusi has since reportedly been banned from campus, pending an investigation, and the SJP Society has also been banned from hosting further events whilst the investigation takes place.
According to Evelyn, during a protest on 9th October, paper currency with blood printed on it was distributed. The printed currency read: “Israel kills, UCL pays! How many kids have they killed today?”
She also reported hearing protesters chanting: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The genocidal chant ‘From the River to the Sea’, which is regularly heard at anti-Israel protests, refers to the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea, and, whether intended or not, is widely understood to represent a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a Palestinian state. It is reasonably interpreted to be a call for the annihilation of half the world’s Jews, who live in Israel.
When Evelyn asked a member of security to remove the protesters, she was told: “We asked them, but they aren’t listening to us.”
She reported the protest to the University and was offered emotional support.
On 16th October, another protest took place near the Jewish Studies department at UCL. Evelyn described seeing two protesters standing, holding up their hands, which were painted red.
Chants heard during the protest included:
- “Two, four, six, eight, Israel is a racist state.”
- “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
- “Zionism will fail. Palestine is not for sale.”
Evelyn told us that she saw security staff standing and observing the protest, but taking no action.
On 24th October, when students from the Israel Society organised an Israeli speaker to talk at an event on campus, masked protesters blocked attendees from entering. Activists were heard chanting “Zionism off campus” and “Crush the Zionist settler state” and called for an “intifada revolution”.
A week after the event, a post was published on UCL Stands for Justice’s Instagram page with reference to the event and an image depicting the Israeli Prime Minister controlling UCL’s Provost, Dr Michael Spence, with puppet strings. Depictions of Jews as puppeteers is an antisemitic stereotype that has been used to claim that Jews control the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.
It is understood that the group, which has some 12,000 followers on its account, is not an official society at the University.
Dr Spence issued an apology after the event, but it is not clear whether any action has been taken or is planned.
UCL President & Provost, Dr Michael Spence, said: “We are deeply sorry for the distress caused by the correspondence with our casework team and we have apologised to the student. A mistake like this should never have happened and we have reopened our investigation into this complaint as a matter of urgency to ensure it is fully and properly addressed.
“Where necessary and appropriate, we will not hesitate to take disciplinary action and report incidents to the police, as we have already done against a number of students in relation to antisemitism.
“We have also taken steps to ensure all our casework staff receive additional training so that they can manage these issues effectively and prevent similar incidents in future.
“In relation to the protests we have seen over recent months, we have taken many measures to protect the safety and wellbeing of our community, including working closely with the Metropolitan Police and restricting access to our Bloomsbury campus to individuals with valid UCL ID.
“Regrettably, like many UK universities, we continue to confront incidents of antisemitism and we are committed to eradicating this from our campus.
“UCL remains absolutely committed to taking the appropriate action and ensuring our campus is a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all members of our community.”
Evelyn, the Jewish student who spoke with us, said: “When I chose to attend UCL, I did not expect a university that seems to welcome antisemitism more than its Jewish students. In the past month, I have been accused of supporting genocide, personally blocked from walking through campus, and harassed simply for being Jewish, all while UCL security looked on. These are just a few of the many incidents I have reported – all of which have gone unaddressed and unpunished. UCL consistently treats the Jewish students as the problem: we cannot publicise event locations, are told to advertise only through private channels, and despite having extra UCL security and police onsite, a recent event was disrupted by ‘peaceful protestors’ chanting antisemitic slogans and blocking the building’s entrance. It is high time UCL confronts the rampant antisemitism on campus rather than continuing to create an environment that fosters it.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Jewish students and staff deserve better than this. For all their virtuous rhetoric about zero-tolerance and anti-racism, our universities have become hotbeds of Jew-hatred, where Jewish students are abused, Jewish societies are trolled and Jewish institutions are vandalised. Campuses have turned into venues for the glorification of antisemitic terrorism and support for groups opposed to Britain and its values. Only 3% of British Jews are confident that if a Jewish student reported an antisemitic incident on campus, the university administration would take appropriate action, according to our representative polling. The situation is dire, and there is no indication that things are changing for the better.”
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].
