Universities ‘deserting Jewish students over pro-Palestine protests’
UNIVERSITIES have been accused of deserting Jewish students over divisive proPalestine protests sweeping across the country.
Edward Isaacs, president of the Union of Jewish Students, said campus bosses have not been ‘allies’ to his members and are not making them feel ‘included’.
He called on vice chancellors to ‘muster the moral courage’ to ‘ensure campuses are places where they can study free from hatred’.
His comments, in the Jewish Chronicle, come as so-called ‘ encampments’ were set up this week on campuses all over the country.
Yesterday tents appeared at University College London in addition to existing sites at Leeds, Bristol, Manchester, Sheffield, Newcastle and Warwick.
Similar action is also spreading across the Channel, with police tackling protesters who had set up tents at Sorbonne University in Paris earlier this week.
Jewish students have said the protests have made them feel unwelcome on their own campuses, due to the aggressive stance on Israel.
Mr Isaacs said that he was aware students in the UK protests are using anti-Israel phrases such as ‘globalise the intifada’ and ‘do not engage with Zionists’.
He wrote: ‘Encampments are growing and the rhetoric emanating from these encampments is increasing in hostility . . .
‘ Universities have been unwilling to effectively stand in allyship with their Jewish students and ensure they can be fully included in campus life. Now is a bellwether moment for university administrations as to whether they will muster the moral courage to stand in allyship with Jewish students, and ensure campuses are places where they can study free from hatred.’
Mr Isaacs said Jewish students were having to start endof-year exams amid ‘increased toxicity’ towards them.
Earlier this week, activists took over the library at Goldsmiths, University of London, and began camping there.
And protesters in Newcastle have been mocked after taking to social media to beg for blankets and ‘food for a community dinner’. It comes after the hard- Left University and College Union declared it ‘stands with’ student protesters and urged members to demonstrate.
Meanwhile, the UCU branch at Sheffield University urged members to ‘visit’ camps and ‘offer support’.
Number 10 has warned protests should not be used to ‘intimidate’ others and said police would be ‘ fully supported’ to intervene if any turn violent.
The protesters have declared they are not leaving their tents until universities cut financial and other ties with Israel.
A spokesman for Universities UK said: ‘Our priority and that of our member universities is to ensure that our campuses remain safe for all our students and staff.
‘We will do everything we can to prevent hate crime, antiSemitism, Islamophobia and intolerance, and support our universities to respond appropriately if incidents involving these take place.’