Bath mayor leaves University of Exeter after antisemitic conspiracy row
University confirms exit as it condemns ‘false flag’ posts about Hatzola ambulance arson
The former mayor of Bath, Dr Bharat Pankhania, has left the University of Exeter following controversy over social media posts claiming a Jewish ambulance arson attack was an “Israeli false flag”.
In a statement to Jewish News, a university spokesperson confirmed: “Dr Pankhania has left the University.”
The spokesperson added: “Any communication of the nature retweeted by Dr Pankhania is not aligned with our values, and matters of this nature are taken extremely seriously.”
Pankhania, who joined Exeter Medical School in 2017, was a senior clinical lecturer and course lead in health protection, and had been widely involved in public health teaching and infectious disease control, with a career spanning pandemic planning, outbreak response and medical education.
His departure follows mounting backlash after he shared posts on X alleging that the torching of four ambulances belonging to Jewish emergency service Hatzola in north London was staged.
The incident, which took place in Golders Green on 23 March, is being investigated by counter-terror police as an antisemitic hate crime.
Pankhania later apologised, saying the posts “have never aligned” with his values and that he was “incredibly apologetic”, adding he had deleted them and wished to apologise “unreservedly”.
He was first elected to Bath and North East Somerset Council in 2019 as a Liberal Democrat and re-elected in 2023, later serving as deputy mayor before becoming mayor in 2025 for the customary one-year term. He has since resigned as mayor and stepped down from the Liberal Democrat group, though he remains a councillor sitting as an independent.
The University of Exeter had previously declined to comment on individual cases, but has now confirmed his departure while making clear that the content he shared falls short of its standards.
The development marks a further consequence of the controversy, which has drawn strong concern from within the Jewish community following the attack on Hatzola vehicles.
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