Non-student ‘agitators’ may have infiltrated pro-palestine protests

LEADING universities have raised concerns that non-student “agitators” are infiltrating on-campus protests over Gaza to “stir division”.

Vice-chancellors sounded the alarm over the presence of extremist groups at the demonstrations in a meeting with Rishi Sunak.

They were summoned to Downing Street by the Prime Minister yesterday for talks on the spread of pro-palestinian encampments. The meeting came after the University of Cambridge rejected calls to clear a pro-gaza camp on the lawn outside King’s College.

The Us-style protests, which have seen students occupy the grounds of universities across the country, have been raging for five days. They have sparked concerns about rising anti-semitism and the intimidation of Jewish students, though the organisers insist their aims are peaceful.

At the gathering Mr Sunak warned universities that they must “root out” protesters on their grounds who “incite violence or glorify terrorism”.

Vice-chancellors in turn voiced concerns the demonstrations are being infiltrated by non-students to whip up hatred against Jewish people.

“Concerns were raised around non-student ‘agitators’ infiltrating on-campus protests in order to stir division,” No10 said after the talks.

The heads of 17 top universities including Oxford and Cambridge, which have both been gripped by controversial protests, were at the meeting.

Representatives from the Union of Jewish Students and the Community Security Trust, which monitors anti-smitism, were also present.

But the scandal-hit National Union of Students was not invited after ministers suspended cooperation in 2022 over allegations of anti-semitism.

Mr Sunak told the vice-chancellors they must take “personal responsibility for protecting Jewish students” and adopt a “zero tolerance” approach to anti-semitism.

He made the remarks after earlier telling his Cabinet that there had been “an unacceptable rise in anti-semitism on our university campuses” in recent times.

Tom Tugendhat, the security minister, warned university leaders that “freedom of speech didn’t extend to the right to abuse or intimidate”.

He added that he was “personally committed” to supporting institutions that needed help managing the protests and rooting out extremists.