King’s College London Faces Backlash Over Handling of Hamas Propaganda Complaint

[Social Media]

 

King’s College London has come under fire for allegedly “defending hatred” after dismissing a complaint against a professor accused of sharing Hamas propaganda during a seminar. The controversy centers on Dr. Rana Baker, a lecturer specializing in the history of the Middle East, who assigned her students reading material from Hamas’s media office, titled *Our Narrative: Operation Al-Aqsa Flood*.  The 18-page document refers to the October 7 massacre as a “necessary step” and a “normal response” to Israel’s actions.

 

King's College London professor urged students to view Hamas as a 'liberation group'. 

 

The investigation by the university concluded that Dr. Baker had committed “no wrongdoing.” However, critics have raised concerns about the professor’s framing of Hamas, a group widely recognized as a terrorist organization. In the seminar, Dr. Baker encouraged students to view Hamas as “an Islamic national liberation resistance movement” that targets “Zionists, not Jews.” She further posed the question: “What do we make of it [the reading] given that Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by all the major powers?”  

 

The controversy escalated when a Jewish student secretly recorded the seminar and later lodged a formal complaint. The student claimed to have felt deeply disturbed by the content of the lecture, saying, “By the end of this seminar I was visibly shaking.” The recording revealed that Dr. Baker also discussed the Holocaust, stating it was used to justify the creation of an “exclusive Jewish state.” She asserted: “The deployment of the Holocaust as a justification to build an exclusive Jewish state … if you look at the IHRA [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] definition of anti-Semitism, it does say criticizing Israel can amount to anti-Semitism.” 

 

The student who reported the incident faced significant resistance from the university. Emails revealed that investigators urged him to delete the audio recording, citing it as a breach of university regulations since consent was not obtained from those present. The university warned him of a possible misconduct investigation, stating they could not “accept your recording as evidence.”  

 

The initial dismissal of the complaint prompted widespread criticism. However, the case was reopened in July and is now under review by an external third party.  

 

Lord Ian Austin weighed in on the controversy, urging the university to adopt a “zero tolerance approach to people who support terrorism and stop defending hatred.” Conservative justice spokesman Robert Jenrick echoed the sentiment, describing the incident as evidence of the widespread nature of anti-Semitism in UK universities. He called for the Education Secretary’s intervention to “restore some sanity.”  

 

The Union of Jewish Students also condemned the university’s handling of the complaint, accusing it of “a lack of action and negligence.”  

In a related development, the *Daily Mail* unearthed tweets allegedly linked to Dr. Baker that advocated for the destruction of Israel. These tweets, published under the handle @RanaGaza, were reportedly connected to her profiles as a writer for *The Guardian* and *Al-Monitor*. Both King’s College London and law enforcement have been notified about the tweets.  

 

A university spokesperson defended the handling of the case, stating, “This individual complaint is following the same practice as we follow for any complaint, in line with our robust policies and procedures.” Meanwhile, the Department for Education reiterated that “no Jewish student should feel unsafe at any time, let alone in education.”  

 

Based on a report by Daily Mail 2024-12-17

 

 

 

 

 

[Bkk Brian]

5 hours ago, Social Media said:

King's College London professor urged students to view Hamas as a 'liberation group'. 

He should get a job with UNRWA, he'd fit right in there

[JonnyF]

8 hours ago, Social Media said:

King's College London professor urged students to view Hamas as a 'liberation group'. 

 

No wonder there are so many idiotic blue haired students singing From The River to the Sea at these London marches (despite not knowing which river or sea they are referring to, when asked). 

 

UK Universities are becoming a cesspit of leftist anti-semites. 

[koolkarl]

Is Dr. Baker a muslim?  She should be fired along with the President.  This university is supporting an acknowledged terrorist organization who one day will target all non believers in Islam. This university disgusts me.

[NanLaew]

10 minutes ago, koolkarl said:

Is Dr. Baker a muslim?  She should be fired along with the President.  This university is supporting an acknowledged terrorist organization who one day will target all non believers in Islam. This university disgusts me.

 

Since she was born in Gaza and carries a passport issued by the Palestinian Authority, chances are...

 

Her blog is lengthy and very informative. In one in particular, over ten years ago, she wrote the following,

 

"Sometimes I regret not having allowed myself to accept Gaza alone as my homeland. The loss of the homeland is a terrible experience. It is the irreconcilable schism between the person and the feeling that they have an identity."

 

I sense someone who learned and eloquent but is maybe still battling their own personal convictions?

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

 

No wonder there are so many idiotic blue haired students singing From The River to the Sea at these London marches (despite not knowing which river or sea they are referring to, when asked). 

 

UK Universities are becoming a cesspit of leftist anti-semites. 

 

That's EXACTLY what the Kremlin says as well.

 

Amazing.

[NanLaew]

6 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

He should get a job with UNRWA, he'd fit right in there

 

He?

 

Ignorance truly is bliss, eh?

[MalcolmB]

11 hours ago, Social Media said:

The controversy escalated when a Jewish student secretly recorded the seminar and later lodged a formal complaint.

Well if she doesn’t like it she can always pack her bags and go and study in Israel.

[Thingamabob]

Sadly Muslim terrorist propaganda is being spread in schools and universities all over the UK.

[Bkk Brian]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

 

He?

 

Ignorance truly is bliss, eh?

Ok she, not much difference to the employer I suggested UNRWA

[Chomper Higgot]

21 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Sadly Muslim terrorist propaganda is being spread in schools and universities all over the UK.

That’s a remarkable claim deserving of some actual evidence.

[Bkk Brian]

1 hour ago, MalcolmB said:

Well if she doesn’t like it she can always pack her bags and go and study in Israel.

No, that's not how it works, its illegal to support Hamas terrorists in the UK, the student who complained is not the one who should go to Israel, a pure anti-Semitic slur.

[Chomper Higgot]

I’m getting that feeling again that context is everything.

 

The Israel / Palestine conflict is a complex issue, I expect university students studying the conflict would be presented views and material from all sides of the conflict.

 

Maybe trigger warnings should be provided.

 

 

 

[Bkk Brian]

9 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I’m getting that feeling again that context is everything.

 

The Israel / Palestine conflict is a complex issue, I expect university students studying the conflict would be presented views and material from all sides of the conflict.

 

Maybe trigger warnings should be provided.

 

 

 

Not complex at all when a professor claims the terrorist atrocities of the 7th Oct are a necessary step & normal response. What an ignorant statement. One for Hamas terrorist apologists only. There is no 2 sides to the 7th Oct.

 

"The controversy centers on Dr. Rana Baker, a lecturer specializing in the history of the Middle East, who assigned her students reading material from Hamas’s media office, titled *Our Narrative: Operation Al-Aqsa Flood*.  The 18-page document refers to the October 7 massacre as a “necessary step” and a “normal response” to Israel’s actions."