UK Jewish Students Fear for Safety as University Societies Share Hamas Propaganda

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Jewish students at UK universities are feeling increasingly unsafe as campus societies share material glorifying Hamas and spreading antisemitic messages. Concerns over student safety have grown so much that Jewish sixth-formers are now attending workshops to prepare for potential harassment before they even step onto campus.

 

 

The higher education regulator has made it clear that while universities must uphold free speech, this does not extend to harassment or support for proscribed terrorist organizations. This statement follows reports that student activists have been sharing content sympathetic to Hamas, which is recognized as a terrorist group by the UK government.

 

 

An investigation by The Times uncovered that some student societies have been publicly praising terrorist “martyrs,” including those responsible for the October 7 attack that claimed over 1,200 lives. Some groups have also engaged with social media content featuring Hamas fighters and have used language echoing antisemitic tropes. This has led to an alarming climate on campuses, prompting the need for training sessions to help Jewish students navigate antisemitism in higher education.

 

Robert Halfon, a former Conservative universities minister, who attended one of these workshops, condemned the current situation as a “shocking stain on our university system.” He pointed out that certain student societies have been posting material that appears to violate their universities' own codes of conduct, which emphasize respect and prohibit harassment.

 

 

At the University of Leeds, the Students Against Apartheid Coalition engaged with social media posts referencing “messages from the resistance,” alongside an image of Hamas fighters on stage during an Israeli prisoner exchange. The same account also used the phrase “Nazi Zionism,” a well-known antisemitic slur. Meanwhile, Action For Palestine at Queen Mary University in London shared a post praising terrorist “martyrs,” including Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7 attacks, and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

 

In January, Cardiff Students For Palestine posted an image of Hamas fighters surrounding Israeli hostages with the caption, “Glory To The Resistance.” They also shared multiple images of Hamas members celebrating in Gaza, including one showing a fighter surrounded by children with the phrase “the resistance will never die.”

 

The issue is not isolated to a few universities. At Cambridge, students have used Instagram to spread conspiracy theories alleging that Israel is stealing and trafficking Palestinian organs. Many other student societies across the UK have also been found sharing Hamas propaganda online, further escalating tensions on campuses.

 

A spokeswoman for the Office for Students, the independent regulator for higher education in England, issued a statement reinforcing that universities must protect free speech while also preventing harassment. “Universities and colleges should take steps to uphold free speech within the law for students, staff, and visiting speakers. But this does not, and cannot, include discrimination against, or harassment of, Jewish students or staff, or any other conduct prohibited by law, including unlawful support for a proscribed organization,” she said.

 

The Community Security Trust, an organization that monitors and addresses antisemitism, has called for urgent disciplinary action against students and societies engaging in this kind of behavior.

 

Concerns over rising campus hostility have also been highlighted by recent controversies, such as the London School of Economics (LSE) facing backlash for allowing a book launch that critics say provided a platform for Hamas. The book, Understanding Hamas: And Why That Matters, by Helena Cobban and Rami Khouri, has been widely criticized. Cobban, who also spoke at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), was recorded expressing “respect” for Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas political leader assassinated last year. She also suggested that the October 7 attack was targeted at military objectives.

 

Meanwhile, at King’s College London, tensions flared when a pro-Gaza protest disrupted a panel discussion titled From Conflict to Connection: Israelis and Iranians in Dialogue. The event's moderator, a 21-year-old Jewish student, was forced to take refuge in a nearby room when protesters stormed the venue. “It was a legitimate panel discussion that was focused on dialogue,” he explained. “So it is quite telling that it got shut down by the very people who say they don’t want violence.”

 

He went on to describe how Jewish students are increasingly made to feel unwelcome on campus. “Antisemitism is disguised as anti-Zionism. They say ‘Zionists off our streets,’ but they mean Jews off our streets. It’s like saying breathing is OK, but oxygen is not allowed.”

 

Many Jewish students now find themselves avoiding student events altogether. “University is supposed to be the happiest years of your life,” the student added. “But Jewish students are frightened to walk from their halls of residence to lectures. And Jewish societies are being advised not to have stalls at freshers’ weeks. What’s going on is disgraceful — it’s not getting better, it’s getting worse.”

 

As hostility towards Jewish students rises, calls are growing for universities to take stronger action to protect them from intimidation and ensure that campus environments remain spaces of safety, respect, and open dialogue.

 

Based on a report by The Times  2025-03-17

 

 

[thesetat]

Good Op.. i wish those in the US who criticize Trumps agenda against the universities read well and try to understand this is what happens in those Unis also. I think the UK needs to follow Trumps footsteps and get the Unis there to take action to end the propoganda for the terrorists.