Jewish staff oppose uni's Gaza protest proceedings

Jewish university staff and emeritus have urged for the dropping of disciplinary proceedings against 13 students involved in a pro-Palestinian protest.

On 23 May 2024, the group of Oxford Action for Palestine (OA4P) campaigners occupied University of Oxford building on Wellington Square, demanding a meeting over its policies relating to the Gaza war.

In an open letter, current and former staff members said the university "adopted a needlessly hostile" stance toward its own students, whose disciplinary procedures commenced on Monday.

The university said the process was "confidential" and declined to comment further.

The letter is addressed to Prof Irene Tracey, Vice Chancellor of the university, as well as to the Proctors and Chief Diversity Office Tim Soutphommasane.

The letter is signed by 11 people who are either current or former staff at Oxford University, who collectively describe themselves as Jewish faculty.

They are: Oreet Ashery, Reuben Binns, Richard Caplan, Robin Cohen, Laurence Dreyfus, Katherine Lebow, Avner Offer, Mar A Rodda, Graeme Segal, Avi Shlaim and Bernard Sufrin.

In the letter, the group describe the university's response to the sit-in "heavy-handed" and its follow-up statement "ill-advised" that "smeared participants with unfounded accusations of violence".

It added the statement's allegation "that the Oxford Action for Palestine (OA4P) encampment had created a 'deeply intimidating environment' for 'our Jewish students and staff' continues to surface".

"...there is no credible evidence that the encampment, in which Jewish students were also actively involved, led to a rise in antisemitism or that it was experienced in a uniform way by Oxford's highly diverse Jewish community," the letter reads.

"We therefore call on the University to put the record straight, lest supposed threats to Jewish safety be used, as they have been elsewhere, to demonize the movement for Palestinian rights and to criminalize lawful protest and expression."

The group said the students involved "have already suffered extensive harm" from the response, including "rough treatment by police" and "bail conditions restricting on-course students' access to University buildings" for several months.

"In short, the University seems to have pre-judged the case and adopted a needlessly hostile, punitive, and adversarial stance toward its own students," it added.

It also urged it: "to sever the University's financial and institutional entanglements with Israel".

The letter has been signed by university professionals across various disciplines including art, science and history.

Diane Abbott MP previously also voiced her support for the campaigners.

A spokesperson at the University of Oxford said: "The student disciplinary process is confidential and the University will not comment on ongoing procedures or their outcome."

Update 11 June 2025: This story was amended to say how many people had signed the letter and make clear their relationship to the university.

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