For the JC May 2021
Jewish students have reacted angrily to a statement issued “in solidarity with Palestine” from student leaders at St Anne’s College Oxford, calling it “inexcusable”.
The statement, written by the president of St Anne’s JCR (Junior Common Room), Sanaa Mughal, and the Black and ethnic minority representative of the college’s MCR (Middle Common Room), Ibrahim Mohammed, known as “Ibz Mo”, characterises the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza as “Israeli forces confronted a peaceful protest near Al-Aqsa mosque… Israeli forces took streps to disperse members of the protest using rubber bullets, water-cannoned armoured vehicles and stun grenades”.
Calling for “solidarity to St Anne’s Muslim and Palestinian members”. the statement, which makes no mention of the hundreds of Hamas rockets raining down on Israel, asks for support from other Oxford colleges. It speaks of “the destruction of the Al-Aqsa mosque” during the holy month of Ramadan, and asks people to “combat the noticeable lack of support” for the wider Muslim and Palestinian community.
Responding, the Union of Jewish students told the JC: “UJS have received countless messages about antisemitic abuse that is directed/targeted towards Jewish students. It is inexcusable that St Anne’s JCR President and MCR BAME rep have ignored their Jewish students, and excluded them from accessing support. In our mission to support Jewish students we urge them to amend their statement and consider the impact of neglecting and prioritising one student community over another.”