Vice Chancellors from some of the country's leading universities
will join forces with the government today (9 May) to discuss
actions to address the rise in antisemitic abuse on campus and
disruption to students' learning.
The Prime Minister, Education Secretary, Communities Secretary
and Security Minister will call on university leaders to ensure a
zero-tolerance approach to antisemitic abuse is adopted on all
campuses.
The government has made clear that debate and the open exchange
of views in universities is essential, but that this can never
tip over into hate speech, harassment or incitement of violence.
The meeting will also help to inform upcoming government guidance
on combatting antisemitism on campus. Meanwhile, the Office for
Students (OfS) has committed to publishing the response to its
consultation on a new condition of registration, which could give
OfS the power to impose sanctions where there is clear evidence
that universities are failing to take sufficient or appropriate
action to tackle harassment, including antisemitic abuse.
In the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced £7 million of
extra support to tackle antisemitic abuse in educational
settings. £500,000 of this will be dedicated to supporting the
work of the University Jewish Chaplaincy, boosting support for
Jewish students on campus.
The University Jewish Chaplaincy helps students deal with
incidents of antisemitism and
intimidation and currently supports over 8,500 students at over
100 universities in 13 regions.
Prime Minister, , said:
“Universities should be places of rigorous debate but also
bastions of tolerance and respect for every member of their
community.
“A vocal minority on our campuses are disrupting the lives and
studies of their fellow students and, in some cases, propagating
outright harassment and antisemitic abuse. That has to
stop”.
Education Secretary, , said:
“I have made it absolutely clear that universities must crack
down on antisemitism and ensure that protests do not unduly
disrupt university life.
“I am looking welcoming vice chancellors to No10 today to make
sure together we have clear steps in place to protect Jewish
students on campus.”
The Union of Jewish Students (UJS) have criticised the “toxic
environment” faced by Jewish students across the country.
According to the Communities Security Trust, there was an
increase of 203% in university-related antisemitic incidents
between 2022 and 2023.
Ministers will make clear that universities must take immediate
disciplinary action if any student is found to be inciting racial
hatred or violence – and contact the police where they believe a
criminal act has been committed.
The Education Secretary wrote to Vice Chancellors on Sunday
setting out government expectations in respect of the support
being provided to Jewish students.
Representatives from the Union of Jewish Students will also
attend the roundtable to share their experiences and perspective.
The PM and Education Secretary will invite Vice Chancellors to
share best practice and lessons learned and seek views on how
government can continue to support them in this area.
