Following the disruption of an event organised by UCL Friends of Israel Society and King’s College London’s Israel Society with speaker Hen Mazzig by anti-Israeli activists, the Board of Deputies has issued the following statement:
Vice President Marie van der Zyl said: “Last night a hate-filled mob supporting the worst kind of extremism in the Middle East once again trampled on free speech at a leading UK campus. We deplore the aggressive and intimidating protests which disrupted a student event in UCL. The police were called and the room moved on multiple occasions. It is disgraceful that in a society which values free speech, students at a top UK university cannot host an open event without being harassed . These anti-Israel activists do nothing to bring about peace in the region. They serve only to bully and threaten. We call on UCL to initiate a strong disciplinary process against the perpetrators. We will be raising this across Government today and in a meeting with the Home Secretary on Monday. This abuse must have no place on our campuses.”