Union’s ‘Apartheid Week’ puff angers Jewish students

THE ISRAEL Society at Kings College London (KCL) has said it is “considering legal action” against the university’s student union after it promoted Israel Apartheid Week in a newsletter sent to tens of thousands of students.

In what was described by the society as an “unprecedented” step, the student union included information about events being run on campus during Apartheid Week

— the annual nationwide programme of anti-Israel activism.

Apartheid Week, the newsletter said, “raises awareness of Israel’s apartheid system over the Palestinian people and builds support for the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement”.

Events began this week at KCL, which has more than 25,000 students.

The email was sent out in the name of the KCL student union’s (KCLSU) student officer team, including Momin Saqib, the union president. Earlier this month, Mr Saqib was videoed taking part in a protest at the university outside a talk given by Dan Meridor, a former deputy prime minister of Israel.

Hadar Langerman, of the KCL Israel society and fellow of the pro-Israel CAMERA on Campus UK organisation, said it was unheard of to have Apartheid Week publicised by student officers.

“There are procedures in place where students can ask for their events to be advertised, but this is unprecedented,” she said.

Tamara Berens, president of the KCL Israel Society and campus associate for CAMERA, said: “This is the only student society event of the entire year that KCLSU has advertised and endorsed, with absolutely no right to do so.”

She said the Israel Society had informed Mr Saqib and Professor Ed Byrne, President of the university, that it believed the union had contravened rules governing charities.

“Promoting Israeli Apartheid Week is not within KCLSU’s usual charitable objects, and is therefore unlawful,” Ms Berens claimed. “I demand that KCLSU apologise.”

But the student union rejected any suggestion that it was in breach of charity rules. It told the JC that “our elected officers often include links to a wide range of events from our campus community” in the newsletter.

The union said it had received one complaint which it was responding to in line with its procedures.

The union has no right to advertise and endorse the event’