Countdown host Rachel Riley, Lord John Mann, Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl and Thangam Debbonaire, the MP for Bristol West all speaking at the rally at 5pm on Wednesday
February 24, 2021 11:41
Thousands of students and campaigners against antisemitism are expected to attend a ‘Hate Off Campus’ online rally on Wednesday in support of Bristol JSoc, which is demanding their university takes action against Professor David Miller.
Countdown host Rachel Riley, the government’s antisemitism adviser Lord John Mann, Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl and Thangam Debbonaire, the Labour MP for Bristol West, will all deliver speeches at the rally, which begins at 5pm, and will be broadcast live on Facebook and Twitter.
The Union of Jewish Students President James Harris and Edward Isaacs – the Bristol JSoc President who has been at the centre of sociology professor David Miller’s attacks on Jewish students – will also speak at the rally.
The rally takes place after Jewish student leaders left a meeting with Bristol University on Tuesday disappointed, after it “yet again failed” to commit to taking action against an academic who called for the “end” of Zionism – and linked Jewish students directly to Israel.
On Tuesday, Bristol JSoc and the UJS issued an angry statement after meeting with senior management at the University of Bristol to discuss “proposed next steps” over possible action following Professor Miller’s remarks.
The statement said: “Today Bristol JSoc and UJS met with members of the senior management team at the University of Bristol, to relay our concerns over the current situation and to hear their proposed next steps.
“Yet again, the University has failed to give concrete steps on what they can do to protect their Jewish students from hatred and racism both physically and digitally. We will not let this go and will continue to hold the University to account and get hate off campus."
Following the 45 minute long meeting the University of Bristol said: “A spokesperson for the University of Bristol said: “We had a useful meeting today with Bristol J Soc and UJS. We heard their concerns and are continuing to work with them.
“However, at the students’ request, we are unable to go into detail about the discussions.
“We remain committed to making our University an inclusive place for all students, while also upholding our commitment to freedom of speech and to the rights of all our students and staff to discuss difficult and sensitive topics.”