Jews at UCL ‘terrorised’ by students amid demands of ‘Zionists off campus’

Indeed, the latest protest erupted after Francesca Albanese, the UN’s rapporteur on Palestine – who has a history of making statements, seen by some as antisemitic – was invited to speak at the university.

Initially asked by a student group, her talk was later backed by a UCL history lecturer, prompting outrage from the pro-Israel non-student group Stop the Hate, which planned a demonstration.

In response, UCL Action for Palestine and its alumni wing mobilised a counter-protest, vowing to keep “Zionists and fascists off our campus.”

Students called a rally to keep "Zionists and fascists off our campus"[Missing Credit]

Dr William Booth, a lecturer in UCL’s history faculty, facilitated the event by booking a university room and accused “groups opposing free speech” of trying to have Albanese cancelled. In an email to attendees ahead of the talk last week, he wrote: “On the day when Israel has resumed its genocidal attacks on Gaza, killing more than 400 people, it is more essential than ever that this event goes ahead.”

The event took place under heavy security, with police stationed outside the campus as a large anti-Israel demonstration clashed with a smaller pro-Israel protest. Jewish demonstrators were pelted with raw eggs.

The protests continued as it got dark. Pro-Israel demonstrators were cordoned to another street by police[Missing Credit]

As Albanese concluded her talk, she was greeted like a celebrity by throngs of students.

For Jews at UCL, the event was another sign of a campus atmosphere that some say has become hostile. While a few have aligned with the anti-Israel movement – establishing "Jews for Palestinian Justice UCL" and joining the protest outside Albanese’s lecture – others describe a growing sense of unease.

And next month, UCL is set to host former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in conversation with anti-Israel campaigner Andrew Feinstein and Ahmed Alnaoug – the Palestinian founder of We Are Not Numbers and a relative of Hamas terrorists killed by the IDF. Alnaoug has previously declared that Zionism must “be dismantled.”

A crowd awaited Francesca Albanese when she finished her controversial talk at UCL[Missing Credit]

Meanwhile, just a moment's walk from lecture halls, an encampment erected last May by Soas students still stands. Some of its organisers were arrested on suspicion of drug possession and obstructing police. The site has played host to speakers including Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a Palestinian doctor and Glasgow University rector, who previously praised terrorists and delivered a eulogy for the founder of the PFLP.

While UCL successfully removed an encampment from its main quad last summer after taking legal action against activists, Palestine protests remain a regular feature of campus life.

“It is impossible to concentrate,” said Forman, who is on campus twice a week. “The racket of the protesters makes it unbearable.”

Their demands include renaming UCL’s student centre after Refaat Alareer, a Palestinian poet and UCL alumnus. Alareer, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike, had posted online after October 7, joking about whether an Israeli baby reportedly burned alive was cooked “with or without baking powder.” Not long after, chalked messages appeared on campus pavements: “Remember Refaat.”

Tensions have been further inflamed by revelations about UCL’s head of diversity. Addeel Khan, UCL’s Director of Equity, Inclusion and Culture, also holds the role of communications director for Save One Life UK, a charity reportedly under investigation by counter-terrorism police for allegedly funnelling money to Hamas, according to The Telegraph. On October 7, the day Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis, Save One Life launched a Gaza appeal and posted online that Palestinians were “under attack again.” The Telegraph reported that photos passed to the police appeared to show charity workers handing over envelopes thought to contain cash to children in Gaza. The charity disputed this.

UCL has not responded to the allegations against Khan, who oversees the team responsible for addressing antisemitism at UCL.

Save One Life posted on Instagram on October 7 that Palestine was "under attack"[Missing Credit]

His position has distressed some Jewish faculty, one of whom told the JC, “Although Jews are a religious and ethnic minority, in practice we do not benefit from the protection and support afforded by our EDI programmes. Given the very serious allegations against our new Director of EDI, how can we trust him to be an ally?”

None of the staff members who shared their experiences with the JC were willing to be named, indicative of the precariousness of academia’s peer review process – and the state of life on campus.

Addeel Khan joined UCL as Director of Equity, Inclusion and Culture in September. He remains in post at Save One Life UK, according to the charity's website.[Missing Credit]

“We have experienced staggering levels of antisemitic activism on campus. The call to remove Zionists from campus is just the latest in a long line of abuse Jews can expect at UCL,” said one Jewish staff member.

Another described the atmosphere: “I feel beleaguered by the volume of antisemitic abuse on campus and the lack of action against it by senior management.

“In fact, some members of management reinforce the problem by their vocal support of BDS. There are days that I dread coming into work for fear of what I’m going to see on the walls of my department.”

Last academic year, around 800 UCL staff signed a letter calling for the university to support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The letter demanded UCL cease any formal or informal engagement with Israeli higher education institutions.

Some Jewish staff members have drawn comparisons to the crisis at Columbia University in New York. “It’s not like Columbia – no vandalism, no celebrity antisemites. Just relentless, daily protests and an administration that turns a blind eye,” said one teacher. Another cautioned, “UCL is willing to pay the price of antisemitism to be a global university. But they should look at Columbia’s decline – it’s a warning.”

UCL’s administration has issued public condemnations of antisemitism, but according to Jewish students and faculty, there has not been enough action. Provost Michael Spence has sent what one staff member described as “perfunctory expressions of sympathy,” but Jewish staff report no concrete consequences for the main offenders. University authorities told the JC that 12 students have been reprimanded for breaching the code of conduct in relation to antisemitism and protests.

Still, one member of staff accused Spence of being unable or unwilling to “put a stop to antisemitic harassment,” and another stated, “Jews do not count at UCL.”

Several students spoke of a growing climate of bias. One claimed “most students at UCL are anti-Israel.” Another said that their peers had blamed Jews for “killing innocent Palestinians” and that, “Jews run the US Congress.” A separate student encountered individuals who believed “armed resistance by Hamas and other affiliated groups is legitimate.” Another was told that “Zionists and Israel should not exist.”

Romilly Blitz, a second-year history student and president of the Jewish Society, described being taunted as “a genocidal baby killer” and seeing social media posts she felt supported Hamas. When she raised the issue, the university invited her to a “talking session” with tea and biscuits. “They want me to ‘talk it out’ with people who called me psychotic and genocidal, who took photos of me and circulated them. These are not nice people,” she said.

Blitz is unaware of any sanctions against the students who targeted her.

She considered transferring to a university in Israel but decided against it. “I worked really hard to get into UCL. It is a good university and I don’t want my chance of a degree here ruined.”

As president of Jsoc, Blitz is exposed to the sheer scale of the problem; she receives constant messages about antisemitism – “it can be overwhelming.” She said dozens of Jewish students have reduced their time on campus and that she has “barely” gone in this year.

“It’s scary we don’t have the freedom others do,” she said. Protesters, she added, are emboldened “because nothing happened to them last year.”

Blitz has worked with the Students’ Union on the issue, holding over 100 meetings. While she feels their support is genuine, she is alarmed by the ongoing safety measures Jewish students must follow.

When the Jsoc and Israel Society host events, they occur in a heavily secured “bunker room” lecture theatre – a basement space with multiple layers of security and access to the street, “in case anyone needs an escape route," Blitz said.

This follows a 2016 incident when police rescued Jewish students trapped in a lecture hall after anti-Israel protesters stormed a talk by Hen Mazzig. It led to UCL hiring an Antisemitism Programme Manager – the first UK university to do so. But Blitz said this should not be something for the university to be proud of, "it just means there is a lot of antisemitism," she noted.

But the safeguards have not stopped protesters from targeting events – even those with nothing to do with Israel. In November, an event about Ukraine hosted by the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (Ssees) with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský was hijacked by anti-Israel protesters.

Palestine demonstrators forced Lipavský – who they said was “giving a lesson about Ukraine… but not doing anything for the Gazans” – to leave the building after just 20 minutes.

Professor Richard Mole, the school’s director, subsequently resigned as head of Ssees after intense backlash from the protesters who derailed the event with chants of “free Palestine” and accusations of “genocide” at the speakers. In a video of the disruption, Mole labels a masked protester a “coward” as he tries to remove the student activists from the building. 

One non-Jewish attendee described being “ambushed,” telling Blitz, “We’re not even Jewish, yet we were harassed relentlessly by pro-Palestinian protesters who ruined our event and treated us horribly.”

For many, this is proof that the measures introduced in 2016 are not enough to protect those caught in the crossfire of campus protests. Universities have a legal duty to uphold free speech –but protesters shut down talks about Ukraine and stand guard around events on Gaza.

“The university says this is about free speech, but how can they hold events that they know will harm students? They do not take antisemitism seriously,” Blitz concludes.

Responding to the JC’s article, UCL president and provost, Dr Michael Spence, said: “I am deeply saddened about these reports and I want to reiterate my personal support for our Jewish students and staff.

“Like other universities around the world, our community has been shaken by the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza, and we have been the focus of vociferous protest and debate. During these challenging times, we have provided enhanced support and wellbeing services for those affected and have encouraged anyone experiencing or witnessing antisemitism to use our Report and Support channels so we can take swift and appropriate action.

“Antisemitism has absolutely no place at UCL and we have taken decisive steps whenever incidents have been reported to us.

“We have taken disciplinary action against protestors who breached our code of conduct, including at least 12 students and, when we have been able to identify people external to UCL, we have issued permanent bans from all UCL property and activities.

“We are extremely concerned about the allegations stemming from last week’s protest and our security team is working with the police to identify any participants accused of using hate speech. Prior to this protest, I wrote to the organisers to make clear that we will not tolerate that language in our community and will take disciplinary action against any students or staff who use it on campus,” Spence said.

“Last summer we took legal action to remove the student encampment that was prohibiting use of our Quad, and where necessary, we have reported incidents to the Police, refused speakers who contravened UCL’s Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech, and removed offensive material from campus,” the president went on.

He added, “The UCL Israel-Palestine Initiative, which brings together students from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to discuss, understand, and think critically about issues in the Middle East, is well attended and has garnered praise across the higher education sector. We also work closely with, and speak regularly to, partners such as the JSoC, UJS, Community Security Trust and the Board of Deputies, whose advice and support is greatly appreciated.

“We have a responsibility to balance any actions we take with our legal duty to uphold freedom of speech, and this includes hosting external speakers that I know can divide opinion and provoke debate, in both opposition and support, but all speaker events at UCL undergo due diligence and must follow our Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech, and we always put measures in place to ensure the safety and security of those attending.”

UCL has yet to respond to allegations that they employ a member of staff connected to an alleged terror-related police probe.

In a statement after The Telegraph published their allegations, Save One Life UK doubled down on its operations: “We stand robustly behind our cash aid programme in Gaza to support the innocent civilians of Gaza suffering from the genocidal onslaught of Israel.

“Cash aid is provided to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza by a number of organisations, including the UN and the IFRC. In fact, only last week the UN issued a press statement about the benefits of [its] own cash aid programme.”

The charity’s statement accused the article containing the original allegations of being “malicious and false” and said the claims were made “without any substance, designed to cause serious damage to the reputation of our organisation and hinder our humanitarian work in Gaza.”

The statement claimed that the original article was "riddled with basic inaccuracies about our work, completely ridiculous and false accusations and combined with Google searched images to grab maximum attention. The article also contains a comment from an organisation known to court controversy and who has been investigated by the Charity Commission.

“It seems that someone from the pro-Israel lobby and in favour of the war crimes being committed in Gaza, is wasting valuable law enforcement time and resources by abusing the process to stop the efforts and relief work to support the people of Palestine.

“Neither the police or the Charity Commission have approached us about these false allegations. However, we have taken our own steps to notify the required bodies and are in discussions about pursuing legal action against defamatory articles of this nature."