Oxford student quits college council due to ‘antisemitism’ | UK | News
A University of Oxford student has quit her role as vice-president of her college committee, saying “Jewish people are now welcome” on the campus after allegatons of antisemitism.
Madeline Bryan served on St Hugh’s College’s Junior Common Room (JCR), a student committee.
The 20-year-old says a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at the university signals a “growing tide of antisemitism” across the prestigious campus.
The JCR is both a college-based student body and a physical room the acts as a hub for social activities and meetings among undergraduate students.
The encampment protests began in the US colleges but have since spread to UK universities, includng Oxford. The Oxford Action for Palestine group have set up at the institution.
On Friday, police arrested 17 people on suspicion of aggravated tresspass after a sit-in at a university building.
Bryant, who is Jewish and from New Jersey, has submitted a motion condemning antisemitic incidents around the university since the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7.
She claims her motion was sidelined to a working group while another motion, demanding the univeristy sever ties with Israel, was approved for a vote.
Annoucning her resignation to 400 JCR members, Bryant said: “I have watched my peers at this university chant to ‘Globalise the Intifada’ — a call for violence against Jews — but I was not prepared for it to come to St Hugh’s College.
“It is clear to me that some of the students last night did not come in good faith. I will not serve a JCR that has treated me so cruelly. A JCR that laughed when I spoke. A JCR that refused to engage in productive debate and instead decided to shut down peace and progress.”
Jewis professors and students at Oxford presented a dossier with more than 70 antisemitic incidents to the vice-chancellor this month.
Speaking to The Times, Bryant added: “Antisemitism has become very bad recently so I put forward a moderate motion calling for peace and a two-state solution.
“But I soon realised they were not interested in dialogue. People have targeted me and attacked me for being a Jew. I’ve received a hate message online. The people behind the camp claim it is a safe space for Jews, but that is not the case.
Bryant says there is a “big problem” across the university after hoping the UK would avoid similar scenes to US colleges.
She says she has now gathered “Jews are not welcome on campus.”
Express Online contacted St Hugh’s College’s JCR committee for a comment.
