Barrister quits as university investigator the day after her appointment is revealed
Exclusive: St Andrews had given KC who signed petition urging the government to stop sale of arms to Israel the task of carrying out inquiry into conduct of genocide-row rector
The barrister appointed by St Andrews University to investigate the conduct of its rector has withdrawn from the role the day after her acceptance of it was disclosed.
Aswini Weereratne KC was tasked by the Scottish institution to carry out the inquiry following deep divisions that arose after Stella Maris sent a four-page email to students about the war in Gaza. In her email shortly after being elected in October, the rector urged students to campaign for a ceasefire and described Israel as an apartheid and genocidal state.
St Andrews University said on 5 January that Weereratne, of Doughty Street Chambers, had decided to withdraw from the investigation. No reason was given.
Weereratne, vice-chair of the Bar Human Rights Council of England and Wales, was a signatory to three open letters signed by a group of UK lawyers about the war in Gaza. While the letters made reference to Hamas’ attacks on Israel on 7 October, they were overwhelmingly critical of the Jewish state, accusing it of breaching international humanitarian law and the targeting of civilians. The group’s 10-page letter of 26 October, which remained open to signatures after that date and now has more than 1,000 names, called for the UK to stop sales of arms to Israel for fear of serious and deliberate commission of war crimes.
The St Andrews University Court will now seek to appoint what it calls “another suitably qualified individual” to carry out the independent investigation.
At a special meeting on 15 December the university court had decided to appoint an external investigator following calls from students, alumni and others for Maris, 25, to apologise for her email or resign. The role of rector at St Andrews is intended to include pastoral support, but two months into Maris’ election Jewish students at the town, which has no Jewish community, were left feeling isolated. The rector has posted online that she will not interact with their complaints and has suggested she is a victim of racism and misogyny.
Jeremy Dein KC, who has been assisting the Jewish students, commented: “Bearing in mind the sensitivity and gravity of this matter, it is extremely difficult to understand how this appointment came about. What matters now are not just the qualifications of the individual selected, but the overriding need for total independence, impartiality and transparency. This is self-evident and the importance cannot be understated.”
Weereratne and St Andrews University have been asked for comment.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
