Conservative societies from universities across the United Kingdom have announced a joint declaration in support for Israel and the global Jewish community.
The ten societies also unequivocally denounced Hamas terrorism and affirmed their support for Israel's right to defend itself and protect its citizens.
The signatories included the Oxford University Conservative Association, the largest student-led political group in Europe, the Cambridge University Conservative Association and other similar groups with a combined membership of over 10,000 young people.
The letter was compiled by The Pinsker Centre, a think tank dedicated to promoting academic engagement and freedom of speech on UK campuses.
Jonathan Hunter, a trustee of The Pinsker Centre, said: “We regularly hear about the worst of the UK student body in the media and often for a good reason; just yesterday, Oxford students were calling for an international intifada [understood as a call to murder Jews].
“In an hour of need for Israel and the UK Jewish community, it’s crucial for the voices of reason to make themselves heard. We’re proud to have worked with these university societies that represent the best of what the UK student community has to offer.”
Calista Toner, President of Glasgow University Conservatives and Pinsker Centre Policy Fellow, said: “We must show our firm and vocal support for Israel and our British-Jewish community. In signing this letter, we are proud to stand united with our colleagues across the country”.
Sam Spiri, a President of the Cambridge University Conservative Association (CUCA) commented: “What happened on the October 7 was a barbarous terrorist attack motivated by antisemitism. CUCA members visited Kfar Aza this summer. CUCA members met those men women and children who have been raped, tortured, burnt alive and then executed.
"It is clear for all to see that what happened to those individuals - people who have no agency in the wider geopolitical issue - is a crime against humanity, a vile act of terror, and is utterly reprehensible. It is clear that Hamas are responsible. Israel has a right to defend itself and a duty to rid Gaza of the Hamas threat - both morally and under international law.”
On a trip organised by the Pinsker Centre, members of both the Oxford and Cambridge University Conservative Associations visited Kfar Aza, a Kibbutz in southern Israel that was the site of a massacre on October 7, where international media discovered that babies had been beheaded.
The following university Conservative societies have signed the statement:
Oxford University Conservative Association, Cambridge University Conservative Association, Glasgow University Conservative and Unionist Association, Nottingham University Conservative Association, Prospective Winchester University Conservative Association, Bristol University Conservative Association, King’s College London Conservative Association, Manchester Young Conservatives, Cardiff University Conservative and Unionist Association (CUCUA) and University College London Conservative Society.
