Mick Hartley

Former UCL student Fiyaz Mughal, in the Telegraph – British universities have failed Jews:

A Muslim student and staunch anti-racist, I was friends with people from all different backgrounds, including several Jews. We stood together when some students spoke of receiving racist chants and abuse when they visited football matches, and I remember Jewish students standing up for Muslim students who wanted a quiet place to pray.

Fast forward three decades and Jewish students have repeatedly said that they do not feel comfortable being students at UCL. This, at the very least, should sicken us all and rouse us into supporting these students against anti-Semitism.

UCL used to be a beacon for progressivism; it was the first institution to admit Jewish students when it was founded in 1826. Yet earlier this year, more than seventy masked students rallied outside the university chanting: “No more hiding, no more fear, Zionists not welcome here.”

Not long after, a Jewish staff member said to The Jewish Chronicle: “We have experienced staggering levels of activism on campus. The call to remove Zionists from campus is just the latest in a long line of abuse Jews can expect at UCL.” How has my alma matter become more backwards today than it was in the 19th century?

There is no excuse for anyone targeting British Jews with hatred. I learnt plenty during my time at UCL, but the lesson I still carry with me every day is this: while the 1990s were no heyday for ethnic minority students in British universities, at the very least we tried to stand up for each other. We are far away from that point today.

It’s not just UCL, of course. They’ve just been caught red handed, as it were. It’s across the board.