BBC doc shows students praising 7 October and branding Zionists ‘Nazis’

A BBC documentary has captured student activists on US campuses praising the 7 October Hamas attacks, chanting support for “resistance”, and repeatedly comparing Zionists to Nazis, amid escalating tensions over free speech and the Israel-Gaza war.

The second episode of Speechless, broadcast as part of BBC Storyville, examines how the conflict reverberated across American universities, focusing on protests, encampments and clashes between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian students.

The film shows that within a day of the 7 October attacks, a joint statement by Harvard student groups declared: “We… hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence,” adding that “the apartheid regime is the only one to blame.”

In footage from campus demonstrations that followed, activists are heard chanting: “Glory to the martyrs. Glory to the resistance. We will liberate the land. By any means necessary.”

One protester, addressing a crowd, referenced Hamas’ breach of the Gaza border fence using Nazi imagery, asking: “Do you guys remember the photos of the bulldozer breaking through the Nazi border?” before describing 7 October as producing “joyful and powerful images”.

Another student defended the use of imagery associated with the attacks, saying: “We are so horrible for showing a paraglider. What about their jets? Israeli jets have killed thousands and thousands of Palestinians, but that’s okay?”

The documentary, directed by filmmaker Ric Esther Bienstock and commissioned and executive produced by Lucie Kon, then follows events at Cornell University, where it documents growing hostility and breakdowns in dialogue on campus.

At one point, the film shows a message circulated within a campus encampment warning students that a documentary crew was on site, advising them to “be wary of what you say” and describing the director as a “Zionist”.

The film also shows the crew later being unable to access the encampment.

A Jewish student, Maya, describes being confronted after identifying herself as a Zionist during a discussion with other students.

“You said you’re a Zionist? You’re the reason we’re all here. You’re the reason they’re all dead. You’re a racist country,” she recalls being told, before the individual turned to others and said: “This girl… she’s a proud Zionist. She’s a racist. And that’s how we’re going to know her.”

She adds that the exchange demonstrated “we can’t even have a proper discourse in this country”.

The film also documents repeated comparisons between Zionism and Nazism. One student says they had seen posts describing “Zionism being fascism, Zionism is the same thing as being a Nazi,” while activist Khymani James is shown stating in a livestream: “Zionists, they are Nazis… they’re fascists… they’re supporters of genocide.”

In another clip, a protest leader declares: “The Zionists will fall… Israel will fall,” while demonstrations feature chants including “There is only one solution, intifada revolution”.

The term “intifada” is debated within the film, with one student describing it as “the breaking off of chains”, while another says the phrase “intifada revolution” constitutes “a genocidal chant”.

The documentary also highlights the experiences of Jewish students on campus. One student says: “There is a defence of everyone’s rights but Jewish people’s rights,” while another adds: “I’ve had much more difficulty being Jewish than I have trans.”

Bienstock, who is Jewish, reflects on the reaction to 7 October, saying: “Watching 7 October described as ‘exhilarating’ was hard to process”.

The film argues that while antisemitism on campus is a genuine concern, it has become intertwined with wider ideological and political battles over free speech, protest and academic freedom.

It also suggests that universities’ responses to controversial speech – including testimony before US Congress in which leaders said calls for genocide could depend on “context” – have fuelled accusations of double standards.

Speechless: Part 2 – The Pendulum is available to watch now via BBC Storyville.