(JC) A London university’s Israel Society has called on the student union to “change their attitude towards Israel and Jewish students” and published a poster online attacking the union for failing to take action over anti-Israel events on campus.
The London School of Economics Israel Society published the poster listing several anti-Israel incidents throughout 2015 against which their student union had taken no action, even after complaints were made.
In October Jewish students complained after an exhibition commemorating Palestinians involved in terror attacks on Israelis was set up in the student union. In another incident in February this year, a talk by the then Israeli ambassador to the UK Daniel Taub was interrupted by protests and the fire alarm being set off.
A member of the Israel Society, who declined to be named, said: “I would like to see the student union change their attitude towards Israel and Jewish students and take into consideration their welfare.
“Nothing has been seen to and we are fed up of it.”
Since the complaints over the exhibition were made the university has published a statement saying it was “deeply troubled” by the exhibition.
However the student union publicly rejected this statement on its Twitter feed and Tumblr page.
In the statement, student union general secretary Nona Buckley-Irvine said: “It is deeply disappointing that the School has sought to engage with the political activity of a society beyond its legal responsibilities.”
The Israel Society member told the JC: “We are trying to raise awareness that Nona [Buckley-Irvine] cannot continue ignoring all of these events and activities. She is clearly not taking in to consideration the welfare of Jewish students especially seeing as she has condemned the university.”
In a statement to the LSE student newspaper The Beaver, the Israel society said: “We thank the school for publicly showing their disdain to such a vile exhibition and showing the moral decency that Nona so very much lacks. This is just one further moral stain on Nona’s already dirty and biased record of dealing with Israel issues on campus.”
The statement included a plea to the student Palestine Society “to stop endorsing violence… stop employing intimidation tactics” and to engage with them in a dialogue.
The LSE Israel Society regularly sees around 60 people at its events.
Source: Jewish Chronicle
