Union Criticises Removal of Protesters at Israeli University President’s Lecture in Oxford
Protesters report 'hostile involvement' by the university and police, the Union says.
The Brookes Union has expressed concern over the “forced” removal of students who were “peacefully protesting” during a lecture at Headington Campus.
On November 29, the Brookes Union and the Brookes UCU Branch issued a joint statement criticising the actions of university security and police during the Sam Zuckerberg Israel Scholarship Annual Lecture held at the Headington Campus on October 27.
“The lecture was contested in different legitimate and peaceful forms, and violence should never be used to silence these forms of expression. There is absolutely no place for violence on this campus,” the statement reads.
“We call on the University to take the necessary steps to address these concerns and take decisive action to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.”
According to the university's website, the lecture was delivered by Professor Daniel Chamovitz, President of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Beersheba, Israel. The scholarship, established in 2011, enables a student from BGU to study in a one-year master’s program at Oxford Brookes University.
A spokesperson for Oxford Brookes University commented:
“Oxford Brookes welcomes a wide range of speakers from diverse organisations and we encourage debate within our university community. Freedom of speech is a statutory duty but, more importantly, is fundamental to our values.
“We are disappointed that some of those who took part in the peaceful protest on the edge of our campus proceeded to move their activity to the lecture itself. Our Security team responded appropriately and proportionately, to ensure the safety of all campus users. The lecture continued, and attendees were able to put their questions to the speaker, and a range of viewpoints were expressed and heard.”
