Pro-Palestine protests on anniversary of October 7 'risk being seen as support for Hamas', says Universities UK boss

Pro-Palestine protests taking spot connected assemblage campuses are "at hazard of being interpreted arsenic enactment for the actions that Hamas committed connected October 7th", the main enforcement of Universities UK has told Sky News.

Vivienne Stern, who leads the assemblage representing 141 British universities, said that portion protests against the warfare successful Gaza person been a "frequent diagnostic of field life" successful the past 2 years, "protesting connected this peculiar time means thing different", and could breach the law.

The premier curate and acquisition caput some appealed to the nationalist not to protestation today, which is the 2nd day of the Hamas panic attacks connected Israel that saw implicit 1,200 radical killed and 251 taken hostage.

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Sir Keir Starmer wrote successful The Times that the planned demonstrations showed a deficiency of respect for others, saying erstwhile rallies had been utilized by immoderate arsenic a "despicable excuse to onslaught British Jews".

But students defied his calls, and protests successful enactment of the Palestinian origin and against Israel person been taking spot connected campuses crossed the country.

At a fringe lawsuit astatine the Conservative Party league successful Manchester, shadiness acquisition caput Laura Trott said: "I deliberation the thought that anybody tin observe what happened connected October 7 is utterly abhorrent, it's disgusting, it has nary spot successful our universities.

"I americium perfectly wide that if determination are protests oregon celebrations of this sort, I deliberation it breaks existing laws. We don't request caller laws, we request existing laws to beryllium enactment successful place. The constabulary and universities request to beryllium truly hard connected this."

The main enforcement of Universities UK, Vivienne Stern, aboriginal suggested that she agreed with Ms Trott, and speaking to Sky News aft the event, she said: "Pro-Palestinian protests person been a precise predominant diagnostic of field beingness successful the past 2 years. But protesting connected this peculiar time means thing different.

"And what we've asked radical to bash who whitethorn consciousness precise powerfully that they privation to explicit enactment for Palestinians, to explicit their distress astir what's happened successful Gaza, should nevertheless recognize that doing truthful today, connected the day of a immense atrocity volition beryllium interpreted as, oregon astatine slightest is astatine hazard of being interpreted as, enactment for the actions that Hamas committed connected October 7th. And that is rather different."

Ms Stern emphasised that "if idiosyncratic expresses enactment for Hamas, they're committing an offence nether the Terrorism Act".

She went connected to explicate that universities person stepped up information up of these protests today, issued body-worn cameras truthful guards tin "record what is said and by whom", and warnings person been issued by vice-chancellors.

Asked if, fixed the imaginable for breaches of the law, universities person an work to halt the protests, Ms Stern said: "Universities are bound by instrumentality to support and so beforehand escaped speech, which mostly means that they're nether obligations to facilitate protest.

"The Office of Students successful England has issued guidance which does marque wide that they deliberation adjacent wrong that, determination tin beryllium restrictions connected the expressions of lawful views, truthful protests which don't measurement implicit that ineligible line, wherever the time, spot oregon mode that that protestation infringes idiosyncratic else's rights."

She added that it "may beryllium a subjective judgement", and is thing that is apt going to beryllium decided done lawsuit law.

Sky News contacted the Department for Education for a effect to the comments by Ms Stern. In a connection issued yesterday, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "The horrific calamity successful Manchester makes wide present much than ever that determination is perfectly nary spot for antisemitic maltreatment oregon harassment, hatred code oregon unit successful our society.

"I americium a passionate believer that everyone is entitled to their governmental opinions, but immoderate campaigning enactment indispensable beryllium conducted lawfully.

"I would impulse those readying to protestation to amusement decency and humanity erstwhile deciding whether to bash so, fixed the immense symptom galore radical successful the Jewish assemblage volition beryllium feeling connected October 7th.

"I stay steadfast successful my enactment for assemblage vice-chancellors successful tackling the scourge of antisemitic maltreatment and harassment connected campuses, and I person written to them successful enactment of their efforts."

The Home Office has besides been contacted for comment.