Since the October 7th attacks last year, Jewish and Israeli students have increasingly felt alienated on London campuses through a series of events and intimidation campaigns which facetiously disguised as activism. One of the earliest manifestations I witnessed of this phenomenon was directly after the October 7th attack. After the harrowing images of mutilated bodies at the hands of Hamas terrorists and frantically calling my friends and family in Israel, I was returned to campus where I was greeted by an enormous banner outside the King’s College London, Strand building, which declared “Globalise the Intifada.”
The slogan, known all too well as a dog whistle for violence against Jews and the destruction of the state of Israel, was here, proudly placed across one of the busiest entrances of campus for weeks on end. At this point, Israel hadn’t even started their military response, still reeling from the atrocities committed during the unprecedented attack. Yet, here, students could hardly wait to show their glee, roleplaying as revolutionaries while Israeli corpses were still warm.
Ingrained with the image of Shani Louk’s half-naked, lifeless body being paraded through Gaza, I couldn’t believe that students were comfortable overtly supporting acts of brutal terrorism. I thought this wasn’t normal. Maybe this was just an isolated group of radicals? However, the same sentiment was expressed across most London university campuses’ including Imperial College London and UCL. After this realisation, I was overwhelmed by a wave of despair, asking myself how the universities could enable this environment to persist, especially so soon after October 7th.
While the universities eventually reprimanded the societies responsible, it was all too late; the foundation for campus intimidation had already been laid. A May 2024 survey by UJS found that over 40% of Jewish university students reported experiencing direct antisemitism, and 78% reported encountering instances of ‘casual’ antisemitism, with a sharp rise immediately following October 7th.
The university administrations’ lack of initiative in addressing campus antisemitism has conveyed a sense of tacit approval for even the most radical elements of anti-Israel student groups. As a result, behaviour has crossed the line from acceptable protest to a kafkaesque witchhunt of the last remaining safe spaces for Jewish students. Nowhere is this more evident than in the cancellation of a KCL Israel Society event due to terroristic threats. In March of 2024, KCL Israel had planned to host an event with Ely Lasman, founder of Prometheus on Campus, an educational charity which aims to promote “freedom and rational thought” in universities.
News of the event was picked up by KCL Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), who fabricated a smear campaign against Lasman accusing him of “war crimes,” “targeting aid workers” and being a “baby killer” during his prior service in the IDF. The campaign quickly went viral, fueled by promotion from individuals such as Dilly Hussin, known for his antisemitic and Islamist views. After gaining traction on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), Lasman and the organisers received numerous violent threats, including threats to kill Lasman and to “drag his body through the streets.” As a result of these security concerns, the event was understandably cancelled.
Alarmingly, both the Student Union and faculty at King’s did little to address the violent witch hunt that took place under their oversight, with KCL SJP feeling so comfortable as to boast about their “victory.” This is far from the only example where Jewish students have felt alienated on their own campuses. The most recent example came in the form of an op-ed published in UCL’s circular, The Cheese Grater, titled “Jewish Society, Wake Up!” The article criticised UCL’s Jewish Society (JSoc), by claiming it created a hostile environment for pro-Palestinian Jews after one student alleged that she was harshly ousted from the group.
The article overlooks an important detail: the individual in question joined the Jsoc WhatsApp group on the anniversary of October 7th, primarily to antagonise other society members. The student in question had called the other Jsoc members “disgraces” and accused them of “celebrating murder” on account of their opposition to a pro-Palestinian rally that took place on the UCL campus on that same anniversary. Members quickly attempted to illustrate how this individual’s words could be seen as insensitive; however, any efforts fell on deaf ears as they promptly left the group chat after antagonising them.
The article’s author made no attempt to contact any members of JSoc for comments or to hear their side of the story. As a result of the article, members of UCL JSoc were left in a state of panic due to the unwanted attention it attracted. The article was being used against the society on campus, causing students associated with JSoc to fear being targeted for their membership. When informed of the article’s impact on UCL’s Jewish students, the author responded insensitively, stating that it was an op-ed and suggesting that they should “just get over it.”
Since the October 7th attacks, Jewish and Israeli students in London have faced increasing hostility on university campuses, often masked as activism but crossing into intimidation. Incidents like the display of inflammatory slogans at King’s College London exemplify this hostile climate. Administrative inaction, including the cancellation of an Israel Society event due to threats, has contributed to the situation. Additionally, university societies and publications have targeted Jewish groups, causing fear and isolation among students. The lack of strong responses from universities has allowed legitimate protest to shift into harassment, leaving Jewish students feeling unsafe and unsupported.
This article was originally published in The Times Of Israel Blogs.
