Universities risk sanctions over Gaza protests, watchdog says

Universities could face sanctions if pro-Palestinian protests turn into harassment and discrimination against Jewish students on campus, the director of freedom of expression at the UK higher education watchdog has said.

Arif Ahmed from the Office for Students (OfS) told the BBC that freedom of expression does not mean freedom to intimidate, harass and discriminate against Jewish students.

He said he was concerned about antisemitism on campuses and warned universities that the OfS was “ready to take action” if Jewish students were not protected.

The regulator has the power to impose fines, cut off access to public funding and revoke degree-awarding powers if universities breach its rules.

Mr Ahmed, who in his role defends freedom of expression on campuses, spoke to the BBC’s Political Thought podcast following a wave of pro-Palestinian protests on the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October.

The protests continued despite pleas from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Who encouraged the students not to participate?He warned that “antisemitism is increasing on our streets.”

Sir Keir staged demonstrations on the anniversary, saying it was “un-British to have so little respect for others” and argued that the protests were being used by some as a “vile excuse to attack British Jews”.

While students from London universities participated in a joint march on October 7, rallies were also held in Edinburgh, Belfast and Sheffield.

Protest group UCL Action For Palestine, which attended the London march, stood in solidarity with the thousands of Palestinians killed in and before October 2023, stating on social media that they “cannot be silenced or intimidated”.

The protests came days after two Jewish men were killed in a terrorist attack on a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur.

Security was increased at synagogues across the country in response to the attack.

In an interview with Political Thinking magazine, Ahmed said he was concerned about the protests on October 7 and antisemitism against Jewish students.

“Universities and colleges also have a duty to take steps to protect students from harassment, which includes antisemitic abuse,” he said.

“And if we at the OfS find that universities are not meeting these duties, we will be ready to take action.”

He said that if there was “unlawful support for banned organisations” on campus, this was “certainly not something that free speech protects and is an issue we would expect universities to address”.

Universities and colleges must be registered with the OfS if they want certain benefits, including access to student loan finance.

If universities are found to have violated registration conditions, sanctions may be imposed by the OfS.

In March this year, University of Sussex fined £585,000 by OfS for failing to support freedom of speech.

The OfS said the university’s policy statement on trans and non-binary equality, which included a requirement to “positively represent transgender people”, could lead staff and students to avoid voicing opposing views.

In an earlier interview with Political Thinking magazine, Ahmed said the assassination of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk was a “terrible tragedy” and warned that democracy could not survive if differences could not be resolved through conversation.

“You have to allow people to express their views on really controversial issues, because there will be no alternative to violence,” Ahmed said.

“And that will be the cliff we will eventually fall from.”

Mr Ahmed also said the OfS was “ready to take action” to punish universities for failing to protect academics and students from harassment and intimidation by foreign dictatorships.

Ahmed said he had seen evidence of foreign academics threatening academics in the UK, whispering in their ears “we are following you, we are watching you”.

He said: “If your business model involves breaking the law, if your business model involves unlawfully suppressing academic freedom and freedom of expression at the behest of a foreign dictatorship, then you need another business model.”

Mr Ahmed said the OfS had the power to force universities to take action.

“We can remove their titles from universities. We can fine them. Ultimately, we can cut off their access to public finance.”

You can listen to Arif Ahmed’s interview with Nick Robinson in the last episode of Political Thought on Saturday at 17:30 on BBC Radio 4. on BBC Voices.