Antisemitic abuse on campus ‘has to stop’, Sunak tells v-cs

Rishi Sunak has summoned UK vice-chancellors to Downing Street to discuss antisemitic abuse on campuses, telling universities they must take “immediate disciplinary action” against students found to be inciting racial hatred or violence.

Amid signs that pro-Palestinian protests that have spread across the US are gaining traction in the UK as well, the prime minister said he would hold a meeting at No 10 featuring leaders of some of the country’s leading universities on 9 May.

Mr Sunak said a “vocal minority” of students were “disrupting the lives and studies of their fellow students and, in some cases, propagating outright harassment and antisemitic abuse”, adding: “That has to stop”.

Downing Street said 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 prime minister’s office highlighted comments made by the Union of Jewish Students (UJS), which have said there is a “toxic environment” on campuses currently, and research by the Communities Security Trust that showed there was a 203 per cent increase in university-related antisemitic incidents between 2022 and 2023.

Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, will also join the meeting alongside representatives from the UJS, who will share their experiences.

“I have made it absolutely clear that universities must crack down on antisemitic abuse and ensure that protests do not unduly disrupt university life,” Ms Keegan, who also wrote to vice-chancellors on Sunday about their support for Jewish students, said.

Both Mr Sunak and Ms Keegan said they would call on university leaders to “ensure a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitic abuse is adopted on all campuses”. 

This should include “immediate disciplinary action if any student is found to be inciting racial hatred or violence”, and universities are expected to “contact the police where they believe a criminal act has been committed”. 

Vice-chancellors attending the meeting will be invited to give their views on upcoming government guidance on combating antisemitism on campus.

No 10 said the Office for Students (OfS) has also committed to publishing its long-awaited response to a consultation held last year on whether it will impose a new condition of registration on providers, relating to sexual misconduct and harassment, including antisemitic abuse.

This would require institutions to publish a document outlining the steps they will take to protect students and hand the regulator new powers to impose sanctions where “there is clear evidence that universities are failing to take sufficient or appropriate action to tackle harassment”.

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com