Written evidence submitted by CST [CT 01]

Letter from Richard Benson, Chief Executive, CST, to the Chair of the Committee, 14 June 2013

In response to your request for information concerning extremist speakers at UK universities for the Home Affairs Committee’s inquiry into international terrorism and crime, please find attached CST’s submission.

As you will see, we are aware of several incidences of extremist speakers and antisemitic incidents at UK universities that affect the well being of both Jewish students and the wider student community.  

Richard Benson, Chief Executive
CST
June 2013

BACKGROUND TRENDS

British campuses are generally places where Jewish students feel safe to study and do not suffer antisemitism on a daily basis. However, there are occasions at some Universities and Students’ Unions when Jewish students have been exposed to hate preachers, extremist groups, radicalised individuals, disruption of Jewish Society events and even direct incidents of antisemitism. Extremist activity can leave students from a range of minorities feeling vulnerable and reluctant to express their identity openly. Antisemitism, when it occurs, often takes place in a context that includes other forms of bigotry and as such targets all minority students, and therefore the student body as a whole.

This academic year (2012-13) has seen an increase in far right activity on campus. Some of this increase is part of a cycle of extremism between far right and Islamist extremists

1. PROBLEMATIC SPEAKERS

ISLAMIST SPEAKERS:

• Haitham Al-Haddad spoke at Edinburgh Napier University in November 2011 and Roehampton University in May 2012[1]. Al-Haddad was also meant to address students at LSE in February 2012, but his participation in the event was subsequently cancelled.[2] Haitham al-Haddad used facilities at Nottingham campus to host a family retreat weekend in April 2013, the first of a three part course.[3]

Al-Haddad is the chairman of London’s Muslim Research and Development Foundation, a group that gives Sharia advice on financial matters.[4] Al-Haddad has been embroiled in controversy surrounding comments allegedly made in 2001 where it is alleged that he claimed Jews “are the enemies of God and descendants of apes and pigs”.[5][6][7] He has persistently denied making those comments. An English-language article by Al-Haddad opposes the actions of Al Qaeda but explains that regardless of what Osama bin Laden did, or did not do, “it is an established part of our Islamic creed that every Muslim, unlike the disbelievers, will eventually enter paradise”. The article also shows various perspectives on what constitutes a “martyr” in combat between Muslims and non-Muslims.[8] Speaking in English, Al-Haddad may be seen on youtube, discussing “why marriages fail”. This includes his saying that no outsider should ask a husband why he is beating his wife, because such matters should be sorted between the couple.[9]

• Azzam Tamimi has repeatedly appeared on university campuses. Tamimi is spokesperson for the Muslim Association of Britain, director of the Institute of Islamic Political Thought[10]. His Guardian profile states that he has “advised Hamas on media strategy”.[11]

In February 2010, Tamimi was a speaker at the Federation of Student Islamic Society (FOSIS) Palestine Conference[12] held at Manchester University, an Islamic Society event at Cambridge[13] and a Palestinian Society event at SOAS.[14] During his address to SOAS students, Tamimi called for the destruction of Israel and stated,

“Today Hamas is considered a terrorist organisation because that’s what the Americans and Israelis and cowardly politicians of Europe want, but what is so terrorist about it?

“You shouldn’t be afraid of being labelled extreme, radical or terrorist. If fighting for your home land is terrorism, I take pride in being a terrorist. The Koran tells me if I die for my homeland, I’m a martyr and I long to be a martyr.”[15].

In November 2004, Tamimi told the BBC’s Hardtalk:

“If I can go to Palestine and sacrifice myself I would do it. Why not?...sacrificing myself for Palestine is a noble cause. It is the straight way to pleasing my God and I would do it if I had the opportunity”[16]

• Following the threat of protests by Reading University’s Islam Awareness week in February 2013 saw the cancellation of a talk by Uthman Lateef, , due to fear of protests and disruption.[17]

Uthman Lateef is a preacher from the Hittin Institute.[18] Lateef is alleged to have said, “we don’t accept homosexuality...we hate it because Allan hates it”.[19] In January and June 2009, Lateef was an advertised speaker at events where Anwar Al-Awlaki (a senior Al-Qaeda figure, later killed by a US drone strike) gave presentations via video link.[20][21]

              FAR RIGHT ACTIVITY ON CAMPUS

• Nick Griffin, leader of the British National Party, has been invited to university campuses several times in recent years. In February 2012, the Philosophical Society at University College Cork invited Griffin to debate with students; the society withdrew their invitation only days in advance of the event[22]. In October 2011, Griffin was invited to address students at Trinity University before again having his invitation rescinded.[23] In October 2012, Griffin was handed a platform at Leeds University after the student newspaper the Leeds Student published an interview between themselves and Griffin.[24]

• In February 2013, the Cambridge Union invited Marine Le Pen of the French Front National. Around 200 students protested against her presence, but the event proceeded.[25]

• Jack Buckby, a student at Liverpool University, founded The National Culturalists society in 2012, renamed as Culturalist Hub in April 2013[26]. Buckby spoke at the 2012 Alliance of European National Movements meeting, explaining how nationalism could be better presented to students, fore xample by its slogan “love culture, hate racism”. He was introduced by Nick Griffin, but has declared himself unaffiliated with the BNP[27].

• During a 'Pimps and Hoes' themed bar crawl by Manchester’s Varsity Leisure Group, a number of students were spotting donning racist graffiti and messages of support for the BNP on their official bar crawl t-shirts[28].

2. DISRUPTION OF EVENTS

Although the disruption of Israel-related events may not be antisemitic per se, it contributes to an environment of tension, hostility and discomfort for Jewish students; often resulting in Jewish students feeling intimidated and unable to express their views or identities on their own campus.

• In December 2010 at an event at LSE, Abdul Bari Atwan, editor of Al-Quds Al-Arabi, responded angrily to questions from Jewish and pro-Israel students, saying “you are bombing us every day”. He then spoke of an Iraqi presidential candidate having been “groomed by the Jewish lobby, by the Israel lobby, by the Zionist lobby”.[29] He later denied having meant any of this in an antisemitic manner. Atwan refused to withdraw a comment he had made in 2007,  that he would “go to Trafalgar Square and dance with delight” if Iranian missiles struck Israel.[30] Atwan’s lecture caused such offence that Jewish students walked out of the meeting. This followed the Students’ Union Anti-Racism-Anti-Fascism Officer’s citing how Atwan’s speech had breached the union’s own definition of antisemitism.[31]

• In April 2013, a venue booked to host the St. Andrews University Jewish Society’s Ball received numerous abusive and threatening phone calls, objecting to the recipients of funds to be raised by the event, including Friends of the Israeli Defence Forces.

• In February 2013, George Galloway MP addressed students in Oxford giving his opening speech of an agreed debate about Israel. Galloway walked out of the debate without even engaging with his opponent, Eylon Aslan-Levy, after discovering Aslan-Levy is an Israeli national.[32]

• In February 2013, Israeli deputy Ambassador Alon Roth-Snir was greeted by about 70 protestors outside his lecture at Essex University. Approximately 40 people disrupted the meeting itself, forcing security officers to evacuate the speaker.[33]

• In October 2012 Israeli Ambassador Daniel Taub addressed students at Edinburgh campus. The lecture was abandoned after severe disruptions by approximately 150 protestors.[34]

• In February 2010, Israeli deputy Ambassador Talya Lador-Fresher was due to address students at the University of Manchester, however, due to safety concerns after 300 students arrived to protest her presence, the event was cancelled. Lador-Fresher returned to Manchester to address politics students in April 2010. Approximately 40 students physically attacked her car whilst she was inside.[35]  

3. ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS

Throughout 2012, there were a total of 32 campus-related antisemitic incidents reported to the CST.[36] Of these, 18 took place on campus and 14 affected students or academics off campus. Below are some examples:

• In November 2012, during an anti-Israel demonstration at Birmingham University, a visibly Jewish student was the victim of antisemitic verbal abuse.

• In November 2012, at a Halloween party at Goldsmiths, a student was photographed wearing a Nazi uniform and saluting “Heil Hitler”.

• In October 2012, a group of 7 students were harassing a Jewish male student in the corridor of a college in Cambridge. As a Jewish girl walked past to enter her room, one of the seven turned to her, directly addressed her as ‘a Jew’ and slapped her across the face. 

• In March 2012, a UCL Jewish student was campaigning for a seat on the Students' Union. Swastikas were drawn over some of his posters. In February 2012, it was reported that a swastika was graffitied onto a lift in the UCL library.

• In January 2012, the LSE rugby club played a Nazi drinking game during an organised winter skiing holiday. A Jewish student in the group was subjected to antisemitic abuse and later had his nose broken.[37]

4. GROUPS KNOWN TO HAVE HARBOURED EXTREMISM:

Hizb ut-Tahrir

Hizb ut-Tahrir is an Islamist organisation that has a record of offensive and inflammatory statements regarding Jews, non-Muslims, and gay people, amongst others. They were added to the NUS No Platform policy in 2004, which denies them the ability to be involved with the national union. However, this policy only has an advisory capacity for individual Students’ Unions. Since then, the organisation has regained some of its presence on campus via front-groups:

• Suspected Hizb ut-Tahrir front groups have names such as Perspective Societies, Ideology Societies and Belief and Reason.[38] Such groups have been identified in Manchester and various London universities including SOAS[39], Westminster[40], Imperial[41], City[42] and Queen Mary[43].

• In April 2011, two suspected Hizb ut-Tahrir activists were voted onto the Westminster Student Union as President and Vice-President of Education, respectively. They have been banned from attending NUS events.[44]

• In February 2013, Shohana Khan, the Women’s Deputy Media Representative for Hizb ut-Tahrir, spoke at an event at City University[45].

Muslim Public Affairs Committee:

The Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPAC) website includes anti-Zionist conspiracy theorising. In 2006, Asghar Bukhari, a founder of MPAC and its spokesman, was shown to have given money to Holocaust revisionist, David Irving in 2000; and urged others to do likewise. Bukhari stated this was because he had regarded Irving as “anti-Zionist”. In 2004, the National Union of Students described MPAC as antisemitic and banned the group.[46]

• Asghar Bukhari spoke at an event on 6th February 2013 at Middlesex University alongside John Rees of the Stop the War Coalition and the journalist Lauren Booth.
• Due to surrounding controversy over the speakers, the event was restricted to registered Middlesex students only.

Following the presence of MPAC at Middlesex University, the Students’ Union held a referendum to reaffirm the Union’s policy of not providing a platform for individuals with racist or fascist views (26th-27th February 2013) which received 73% voting yes.[47] 

CST

June 2013

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