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.”

The union had confirmed at the time that it would be investigating Mr Chowdhury. In a statement about its conclusions, it said that “Omar’s comments were found to be antisemitic.

“It is imperative that our elected representatives understand antisemitism in all its forms and engage with Jewish students to better understand the unique challenges they face.

"The SU will closely monitor this process.”

The union also released a statement from Mr Chowdhury in which he “wholeheartedly" apologised to Mr Posen, who is Jewish, and the wider Jewish community "for these ignorant and offensive comments".

“These comments were antisemitic and unacceptable. I regret my words and I am disappointed in myself for contributing to the hostile environment that is faced by Jewish people at university and in society," Mr Chowdhury said.

He said that he had begun efforts to educate himself and would “undertake antisemitism training”, saying he would “do everything I can to show that these comments do not represent my character”.

In a joint statement, the Bristol Jsoc and the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) welcomed the findings of the union’s investigation.

“Bristol SU has made it clear that racism against Jewish students will not be tolerated, and we expect that commitment to be upheld”, they said.

“It is vital that in the fight against racism, we lead with education, and we anticipate Chowdhury’s commitment to learning about Jewish experience through comprehensive antisemitism training.

"We look forward to seeing the steps that Chowdhury will take to action on the sentiments of his apology.”