UK universities called on to act swiftly over expressions of support for Hamas

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The UK education secretary has written to university vice-chancellors asking them to act “swiftly and decisively” to stamp out “implicit or explicit” threats to Jewish students following reports that some pro-Palestinian groups have expressed support for Hamas.

“We have seen evidence of a number of student societies that support Palestinians sending out inflammatory messages that show support for Hamas, which is, as you know, a proscribed terrorist organisation,” Gillian Keegan wrote in a letter seen by the Financial Times.

She calls on university leaders to use the government’s anti-terrorist “Prevent” system to deal with any suspected incidents of support for terrorism, including keeping a particular eye out for any invitations issued to speakers on the subject which may provide a “platform for illegal speech”.

Keegan’s intervention comes as many prominent western leaders have sought to show clear support for Israel following the attack by Hamas over the weekend, and in the wake of Israel’s siege of Gaza, where power and supplies have been cut off.

Earlier this week, home secretary Suella Braverman wrote to police and crime commissioners to inform them that it was a criminal offence to express support for Hamas or wear clothing or carry articles in public that could “arouse reasonable suspicion that an individual is a member or supporter of Hamas”.

She also called on police chiefs to “consider” whether chants such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” should be understood as “an expression of a violent desire to see Israel erased from the world” and thus as a racially aggravated criminal offence.

Technology secretary Michelle Donelan also convened a meeting with leaders of social media companies Google, Meta, TikTok and Snapchat on Wednesday to ensure they were working to remove any antisemitic or extremely violent content on the war between Israel and Palestine.

Earlier this week, some university leaders warned students they could face criminal charges if they expressed support for Hamas.

Hamas was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the British government in 2021, and anyone who “arouses reasonable suspicion” that they support the group can be prosecuted and sent to prison. 

In her letter to vice-chancellors, which was also signed by skills minister Robert Halfon, Keegan said many Jewish students were being made to feel they needed to hide their identity, which she claimed was compounded by a “grossly insensitive and unhelpful statement” put out by UCU, the union representing lecturers and university staff.

The UCU said on Tuesday it was “utterly horrified” by violence by both Hamas and the Israeli military and called on the British government to call for an “immediate ceasefire and de-escalation” of violence including an end to the blockade of Gaza by the Israeli military and a halt to further violence against civilians by Hamas.

The union also noted that recent events were “part of a continuing cycle of violence that has been the result of decades of brutal occupation” by Israel which would have to end before lasting peace could be achieved. 

And London’s Metropolitan Police, the force in charge of the UK’s counter-terrorism policing, appealed on Wednesday evening for anyone with direct information about the attacks in Israel to pass it on to them.

The Met pointed out that some UK nationals had died or been injured in the Hamas attack and it was preparing for future inquests on those killed, as well as seeking to repatriate the dead and injured.

“This appeal is directed at anyone who may have already returned from Israel in the past few days and has footage or images of the terrorist attacks,” the Met said. “There may also be people in the UK who have friends, relatives or loved ones in Israel and have been sent direct messages, images or videos.”

The force stressed that it was not seeking material that members of the public had found via “open source” means such as social media.