10/12/24
Oxford Union speaker who ‘expressed support’ for Hamas faces counter-terror investigation
Counter-terror police are investigating reports that an Oxford Union speaker broke the law by “expressing support” for Hamas during a debate on Israel.
During the debate, which took place last week, one of the speakers argued that the events of Oct 7 2023 were “not terrorism” but were instead “acts of heroism”.
Miko Peled, a pro-Palestinian activist, made the comments while speaking in favour of the motion: “This house believes Israel is an apartheid state responsible for genocide.”
The Telegraph understands several complaints have been made to police about the comments, which have been passed to specialist counter-terror officers to examine.
Expressing support for a proscribed organisation is illegal under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
During the debate, Mr Peled said: “What we saw on Oct 7 was not terrorism … these were acts of heroism of a people who have been oppressed.”
Jonathan Sacerdoti, the son of a Holocaust survivor and one of the opposing speakers, raised a point of order during the debate, saying that he believed Mr Peled’s remarks constituted a “criminal offence”.
He told the Union president: “I believe you should invite the police in. His depiction of the acts of Hamas on Oct 7 is, under UK law – the Terrorism Act 2000 – illegal.”
Ebrahim Osman Mowafy, the president of the Union, reportedly responded by saying: “I’m not legal enforcement.”
Mr Sacerdoti has since accused the Oxford Union of “disgracing itself” by allowing “the forces of bigotry, hatred and mob rule” to breach a “once proud institution”.
He told The Telegraph: “The Oxford Union became a platform for dangerous incitement with Miko Peled’s grotesque glorification of the Oct 7 Hamas massacres as ‘acts of heroism’. This was not only morally reprehensible but seems to me to be illegal.”
Mr Sacerdoti added that the president’s refusal to intervene “effectively enabled Peled’s support for and praise of a proscribed terror group before a room full of impressionable students.”
Following the debate, a group of dons wrote to Lord Hague, the university’s newly elected chancellor, to complain that the remarks by Mr Peled broke the law.
Baroness Deech, Prof Sir Vernon Bogdanor and the philosopher Prof Peter Hacker were among 300 signatories of an open letter decrying the “inflammatory rhetoric, aggressive behaviour and intimidation” witnessed during the debate.
They said: “We unequivocally condemn the incendiary remarks made by some speakers in support of Hamas and terrorist violence. Such statements are not only morally reprehensible but also in clear violation of the law.”
The signatories of the letter called the debate a “failure on all counts”, suggesting that the debate subjected Jewish students to “anti-Semitism and intimidation”.
Yoseph Haddad, a pro-Israel activist, was ejected from the chamber after dismissing audience members as “terrorist supporters”, at which point he put on a T-shirt that read “your terrorist is dead” with a crossed-out face of Hassan Nasrallah, the former Hezbollah leader.
Mr Haddad later took to X (formerly Twitter) to describe Oxford as being “occupied by anti-Semitic … and racist Middle East peoples”.
In a statement, the Oxford Israel Society, representing Israeli students at Oxford, said: “It was pure unfiltered hatred. We left the debate feeling physically ill and unsafe, ultimately deciding to leave together rather than alone.”
The motion was carried 278 ayes to 59 noes.
A spokesperson for Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said: “CTPSE is aware of reports of a person expressing support for a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas, at the Oxford Union on Thursday Nov 28 and enquiries are ongoing.”
Mr Osman Mowafy said: “During the debate, the president, in accordance with the powers conferred on the chair in the rules of the Oxford Union, directed two individuals to withdraw from the floor of the house.
“The first was a member who was repeatedly interjecting and disrupting the speech by Mr Jonathan Sacerdoti. The second was Mr Yoseph Haddad, who was intimidating a member seated behind him.”
Mr Osman Mowafy added: “Claims that the debate was badly chaired or that students were not wishing to participate are subjective claims; a debate as contentious as this one would have those unhappy with it no matter what had happened, as evidenced by the coverage of the debate long before it even took place.
“All speakers on side opposition exceeded significantly their time, and at all times their ability to make their speech was ensured and any heckling was shut down by myself.
“The video recordings of the speeches will be released on YouTube in the usual manner where these matters can be judged better.”
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