Student politics has always been a site of radical dissent. In theory, there is nothing wrong with this. It is perfectly legitimate to question the wisdom of conventional beliefs or government policy. However, a line must be drawn. In recent years, the National Union of Students (NUS) has promoted “Students Not Suspects”, a student-led campaign […]
Continue readingTag Archives: anti-semitism
‘Anti-Semitic Pseudoscience’ promoted at the University of Warwick
On 17 January 2018, the Warwick for Justice in Palestine group hosted an event at the University of Warwick, which has been described by pro-Israel blogger David Collier as “anti-Semitic pseudoscience”. The talk, which was delivered by KCL Research Fellow Dr. Siggie Vertommen, was entitled “Anticolonial Resistance is Fertile: Sperm Smuggling and Birth Strikes in […]
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Extremists target Birmingham campuses in the lead up to Christmas
Although students are already heading home for the Christmas holiday, extremists are still appearing on campuses. This was very much the case in Birmingham. Between 15 and 17 December, the University of Birmingham Islamic Society hosted controversial American preacher Abdul Nasir Jangda. According to the event description, Jangda gave a khutbah (sermon) as well as […]
Continue readingUWE Student Union President legitimises MEND extremists
A recent report by The Henry Jackson Society entitled ‘MEND: Islamists Masquerading As Civil Libertarians’ highlights that MEND meets the government’s definition of extremism. Several senior officials in MEND have expressed sympathy for terrorism both in the UK and overseas, peddled anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and attacked liberal Muslim groups who challenge extremism. MEND has been […]
Continue readingYet more racist graffiti on UK campuses
here have been further examples of fascist and racist graffiti on UK university campuses this week, as a student bar at the University of Birmingham saw graffiti targeting ethnic and sexual minorities, as well as the disabled. The Birmingham University Guild of Students released a statement condemning the appearance of the graffiti, described on the […]
Continue reading‘Israeli Apartheid Week’ events face cancellations
The recent cancellation of a number of on-campus events slated to take place as part of ‘Israeli Apartheid Week’ (IAW) appears to presage a significant change in the way institutions are dealing with the issue. A week-long program raising awareness of what its supporters see as ‘settler-colonialism’ in occupied Palestine, IAW activism has seen the […]
Continue readingNUS faces further challenge over anti-Semitism
Over the weekend, a feature in the Guardian examined how UK universities have been “urged to tackle [a] rising tide of antisemitism on campus”, interviewing students and documenting the spate of anti-Semitic graffiti previously reported by Student Rights. The piece included a quote from the National Union of Students (NUS) president, Malia Bouattia, in which […]
Continue readingSwastikas on-campus at Cambridge (Update: Swastikas found at other universities)
Update 13/02/2017: Since publication, further reports of swastikas being found on campus have come from students at the University of Exeter and University College London. Student Rights has learnt from a number of students at the University of Cambridge that a spate of anti-Semitic incidents have been reported at the prestigious university. According to the […]
Continue readingInternational Business Times: Jewish students feel suffocated on British campuses – divisive pro-Palestinian rhetoric is to blame
Campus activism connected to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict has turned nasty in recent months, with a rise in anti-Semitism being recorded across the UK and a national debate developing over when anti-Zionism becomes anti-Semitism. Contentious Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) resolutions have been passed at Manchester University, the largest in the country, as well as at […]
Continue readingFriends of al-Aqsa and campus activism
Since the start of the 2016-17 academic year, Student Rights has seen a concerted attempt by Friends of al-Aqsa to target students across the UK. In November, the group used Twitter to target student societies at 39 universities, promoting its ‘Hands off al-Aqsa’ campaign, and has since been advertising volunteer days to student activists. These […]
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