Since October 7, student activism around the Israel-Hamas conflict has surged, but extremist political organizations, particularly the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), have hijacked the movement to push their own radical agendas. These groups are not driven by a genuine pursuit of peace — but by the opportunity to recruit students and spread misinformation, fueling division and putting Jewish and Israeli students at risk.
Far-left groups like the SWP have long aligned with pro-Palestinian causes, but their involvement goes beyond solidarity. Their rhetoric frequently crosses the line into outright incitement. Far-left organizations frame the October 7 massacre as legitimate “resistance,” glorifying violence and encouraging radical activism. This distorts reality, undermines nuanced discussion, and fosters a toxic atmosphere on campuses. Universities are failing in their duty to protect all students — including Jewish and Israeli students — from this growing hostility.
A critical question arises: why are UK-based political parties prioritizing the Israel-Palestine conflict over pressing domestic issues? For groups like the SWP, this conflict serves as a convenient narrative to illustrate a Marxist struggle between the “oppressed” and “oppressor.”
In their framework, Palestinians are victims, and Israelis are cast as villains without any further analysis or critical thought — a gross oversimplification that strips Palestinians of agency and ignores potential paths to peace. The SWP openly rejects diplomatic solutions, labeling a two-state solution a “fantasy” and advocating for the destruction of Israel and other capitalist countries instead of peaceful coexistence.
These groups openly condone Hamas and justify terrorism. The SWP has repeatedly distributed materials praising Hamas and legitimizing “courageous” violence against Israelis. One of their pamphlets even defends suicide bombings as part of a “long tradition of Palestinian guerrilla actions,” dangerously normalizing terror attacks against civilians. Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) has pushed conspiratorial claims that Israel used October 7 to justify military action, trivializing mass murder and inciting further division and hatred against Jews.
Despite their extremism, these groups operate freely on UK campuses. The SWP and RCP recruit students by embedding themselves within pro-Palestinian student societies, organizing demonstrations, and distributing propaganda outside university grounds. My own university claims it prohibits external groups from campaigning on campus, yet the SWP has repeatedly been allowed to do so. In Edinburgh, the SWP-affiliated student society posted “Victory for the Palestinians – Why it’s right to resist Israel” just days after the massacre, demonstrating their true intent: to escalate hostility rather than seek justice.
The SWP also collaborates with figures known for their extremist views, hosting them at student events, including a Palestinian surgeon who has openly praised terrorists like Leila Khaled, Ahmad Jarrar, and Maher Al-Yamani — individuals responsible for hijackings and deadly attacks against civilians.
Another controversial figure frequently platformed is rapper Lowkey, who promotes antisemitic conspiracy theories, referencing the “Zionist lobby” and falsely claiming that “nothing is more antisemitic than Zionism.” A Daily Mail investigation revealed that SWP student societies have even hosted speakers who praised Hamas and celebrated the October 7 massacre, despite Hamas being designated a terrorist organization by the UK, US, and EU.
Universities must take decisive action. SWP and RCP should not be allowed to form societies within student unions or hijack student activism to push their extremist agendas. Their presence on campuses has fostered a culture of radicalization, incited antisemitism, and endangered all students, and specifically Jewish and Israeli students.
If universities continue to stand by, they will be complicit in the spread of extremism. The time to act is now. Radical groups must be barred from embedding themselves in student movements, and institutions must enforce policies that protect students from political extremism. Failure to do so will not only undermine campus safety but also damage the credibility of student activism as a whole.
This article was originally published in The Algemeiner.
