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Bristol University Students' Union officer receives warning over antisemitic comments to Jewish student

Omar Chowdhury said he 'apologised wholeheartedly' and would undertake antisemitism training

May 2, 2019 15:52
Omar Chowdhury
1 min read

Bristol University Students' Union has officially warned its Black and Ethnic Minorities (BME) officer after determining comments he had made to a Jewish student - including telling him "be like Israel and cease to exist" - were antisemitic.

In a statement on Wednesday, the union said Omar Chowdhury was “genuinely remorseful” and was in the process of agreeing a development plan “to ensure that he fully abides by the IHRA definition of antisemitism.”

Last month, Mr Chowdhury, who was elected to his position on a platform which included “zero tolerance for racism”, wrote on Facebook to tell student Izzy Posen to “be like Israel and cease to exist”.

He also told Mr Posen to “f*** off”, telling him “your comments are like Israeli settlements: always popping up where they are not wanted.”