Last weekend (8-9 July), Palestine Expo 2017 took place at the QEII Centre, a government owned building in the heart of Westminster. Many thousands attended a series of events intended to celebrate Palestinian culture. In practice, the conference also served as a platform for controversial speakers with a history of extremism. The Communities Minister Sajid […]
Continue readingTag Archives: student societies
Mitigating the Risks? Compliance with the Prevent Duty on Campus
In September 2015, universities became subject to the legal duty to have due regard for the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism mandated by the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) was tasked with regulating this duty, and institutions were required to submit policies […]
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 readingAntisemitic graffiti reported at Goldsmiths College
Student Rights has long argued that antisemitism at UK universities remains a serious problem, and our latest briefing, ‘Antisemitism on Campus’, highlighted the various manifestations this form of racism can take, from incidents at on-campus events to activity on student society social media. Today, the Jewish Chronicle has reported “recurring incidents” of antisemitic graffiti at […]
Continue readingNew Student Rights briefing details campus antisemitism
While isolated claims of antisemitism have long been made on UK campuses, the issue was recently brought to the forefront of the public debate by allegations made against members of the Oxford University Labour Club (OULC). While the scale of these allegations was shocking, Student Rights has long argued that antisemitism is a serious problem […]
Continue readingStudent groups side with ISOC against Maryam Namazie (Update: ISOC President resigns)
UPDATE 09/12/2015: Since the pledges of support for Goldsmiths Islamic Society (ISOC) from the Feminist and LGBT Societies, statements made by Muhammed Patel, the President of Goldsmiths ISOC, have come to light in which he refers to homosexuality as “a disease” and uses the phrase “fag lovers”. Following this, a statement has been released by […]
Continue readingUniversity of Westminster diversity report released
In June, Student Rights spoke to the Sunday Times about a leaked report commissioned by the University of Westminster which had found serious concerns about the university Islamic Society. With the report being released this month, the story has now been covered in the Guardian, focusing on the society’s “ultra-conservative” views, as well as the […]
Continue readingMuhammad Salah and the University of Greenwich
On 9 May, the Islamic Society at the University of Greenwich released a poster for an ‘Annual Dinner’ event called ‘The Promise of Allah & The Promise of Shaytaan’. Due to take place on 5 June, the event was to feature Muhammad Salah as a “special guest”, who would have been an extremely controversial speaker. […]
Continue reading‘Ten years of HHUGS’ highlight off-campus concerns
This weekend the charity Helping Households under Great Stress (HHUGS) will celebrate its tenth anniversary with a gender segregated event at an unannounced London venue. Promoted on Facebook by the Islamic Societies at Kingston University and the University of Westminster, this shows how online networks can expose students to extreme groups and individuals. HHUGS encouraged […]
Continue reading