Cardiff University's Jewish students 鈥榝eel unsafe walking between lectures鈥�
A motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza included a resolution on "how to spot lies and propaganda from the state of Israel". Cardiff Jewish Society said its members were "intimidated, abuses and harassed".
Tuesday 5 December 2023 11:57, UK
Jewish students at Cardiff University say they feel "unsafe walking between lectures".
Cardiff Jewish Society said members were "intimidated, abused and harassed" when they wanted to speak on a motion at the student union Annual General Meeting last week.
The motion called on the student body to vote for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
But one of the motion's resolutions was to organise educational resources on "how to spot lies and propaganda from the state of Israel".
In a statement, the society said members were "left shaking in their seats" and "two Jewish students had panic attacks".
The spokesperson for the society said members now "fear for their security on campus" and that they "just want to be able to do the things that all other students do".
Conservative Senedd member Darren Millar described the allegations as "utterly appalling".
A spokesperson for Cardiff University said it was "concerned" by the comments.
"The university's deputy vice-chancellor has already written to all students to reiterate the absolute need to behave with dignity and respect to all," they added.
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The spokesperson said a "review of student behaviours at the AGM and other university events" was ongoing and would be published "in due course".
The university says it has been in "regular contact" with its Jewish Society and is planning on speaking with them again following their statement.
A spokesperson for Cardiff University Students' Union said it was "saddened to hear about the upset and fear from the Jewish student community since the AGM".
"To be clear, the Students' Union will not tolerate any form of discrimination and is committed to supporting Jewish students to feel safe on campus," the spokesperson added.
Proposers of motions are given an "allotted time to propose their motion, with the rest of the AGM attendees having the opportunity to speak against".
"This does not guarantee any student or student group a right of reply to any motion submitted as speakers are picked at random by the chair and this is made clear to students attending in advance of the meeting," they added.
The students' union spokesperson acknowledged some faced a "challenging environment" as students were "vocal in response to some of the speakers".
"At one point the chair of the meeting paused the debate while they brought the AGM back to order and the speech was then concluded.
"Where we were able to identify students shouting abusive language, we removed them immediately. The students' union in partnership, with the university, is reviewing the AGM content and will be concluding findings in the coming weeks."