At today’s question in the House of Lords on antisemitism at universities, Labour peers Baroness Ramsey and Baroness Berger pushed the government on its steps to tackle campus antisemitism.
Baroness Ramsey asked: “My Lords, following the shocking and violent intimidation of Professor Michael Ben-Gad and the alarming data from the Community Security Trust, which documented a 117% surge in university-related antisemitic incidents across two academic years, culminating in a record high of 272 incidents in 2023-24, does my noble friend the Minister agree that this demonstrates a clear necessity for universities to fully comply with their legal duties in preventing the harassment and discrimination of staff and students on university campuses?”
To which the Minister, Baroness Smith of Malvern, replied: “My noble friend is right and, like the noble Lord, Lord Leigh, she has identified the shocking increase in the scale of antisemitic abuse and intimidation that not only students but staff are facing. We are clear—and, to be fair, I believe the vast majority of vice-chancellors are clear—that this is something which has no place on our campuses and on which strong action needs to be taken, backed up by the Office for Students and the new condition around intimidation and harassment, and supported by the investment in tackling antisemitism education that the Government are now making.”
Baroness Berger asked: “My Lords, anyone who has watched the videos of what has happened to Professor Ben-Gad—the harassment and intimidation—will be rightly appalled. Unfortunately, as we have heard, this is not confined to one member of staff. There are too many students and staff on campuses across the UK who are being impacted in this way. The Government’s adviser on antisemitism, my noble friend Lord Mann, recently published a report with recommendations on countering antisemitism. It specifically includes how to safeguard Jewish lived experience on campus. What steps are the Government taking to implement the recommendations of that review? Will they undertake to write to all universities and colleges with the good-practice guide that accompanies that very important report?”
To which the Minister, Baroness Smith of Malvern, replied: “I am sure that the work of my noble friend Lord Mann is something that university vice-chancellors should look at very carefully to inform their work. As I have said, we have already written to vice-chancellors, but we will follow this up with further meetings with them. I will certainly undertake to ensure that the guidance that my noble friend references is brought to their attention through that process, if not more directly, as she is suggesting.”
You can read the full session here.
