Anti-Israel agitation in education must stop

It comes as no surprise, but the National Education Union has brought shame on itself by voting to support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. As this newspaper has repeatedly pointed out, BDS is inherently antisemitic; of all nations in the world, it singles out the world’s only Jewish state for boycott. But the NEU has consistently behaved as if one of its core functions is to campaign against Israel, rather than to represent the interests of Britain’s teachers. Thus it has also decided to publicise on its website the now notorious Amnesty International report accusing Israel of “apartheid”. Given its obsession with Israel, the NEU might as well add a statement that Jewish members are not welcome.

The NEU might as well add a statement that Jewish members are not welcome

Meanwhile, Queen Mary, University of London, is preparing to host “Marxism 2020 — a festival of socialist ideas” organised by the Socialist Workers Party. From the point of view of Jewish students, the scheduled participation of Jeremy Corbyn is bad enough, but the presence of the rapper Lowkey — who has posted a series of antisemitic messages on social media as well as in interviews — is yet another demonstration of how so many universities simply refuse to take antisemitism seriously. Queen Mary may not be the organisers, but they are responsible for deciding to whom they will lend their venue – and the SWP have made no secret of their status as the organiser. One thing is certain: whether in schools or in universities, this blatant anti-Jewish agitation cannot go on.