Goldsmiths urged to do more on antisemitism as student group plans 7 October ‘resistance’ event

Goldsmiths College has been condemned for not doing enough to condemn the “Goldsmiths for Palestine” student organisation which it granted a wide range of concessions to last year, after the group announced a “remembrance and resistance” event on the anniversary of 7 October.

“Goldsmiths for Palestine”, which has publicly supported the de-proscription of Hamas as a terrorist organisation, is organising an off-campus “night of remembrance and resistance” event together with the Peckham-based “Feminist Library”, which will feature a film screening followed by a “conversation after”.

In 2024, in response to “Goldsmiths for Palestine” occupying a campus building for several weeks, the university committed to a wide range of steps, all detailed on the university’s website. These included “revising the college’s CCTV policy”, committing to £120,000 in “humanitarian scholarships” which have specifically been renamed “Palestinian scholarships” “reviewing the college’s investment policy” and “memorialising the student occupation”.

On 7 October 2023, Hamas murdered more than 1,200 men, women and children and took more than 250 hostages as captives into Gaza. A number of reports have also detailed widespread rape and torture committed by Hamas terrorists on that day.

David Hirsh, Professor of Sociology at Goldsmiths and Director of the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism, described Goldsmiths for Palestine as “an antisemitic organisation, led by some Goldsmiths staff, supported by some Goldsmiths students and backed up by the Goldsmiths UCU branch and the Student Union.

He charged the senior leadership of Goldsmiths with having agreed in May 2024 “that Israel was committing Genocide; that G4P should be incorporated into a review process about the treatment of Jewish students; that the college’s ‘ethical investment’ policy should be re-examined with a view to boycotting Israel; that a donor to the art gallery at the college should be investigated for links to Zionism; that a mural should be constructed to commemorate the occupation of the library; etc.

“There was an independent inquiry into antisemitism at Goldsmiths, but in spite of being told about G4P, nothing about it appeared in the report.”

Hirsh acknowledged that what he described as a “celebration of the anniversary of 7 October”  was “not being held at the College”, but said it was “an indicator of the growing culture of antisemitism in the university sector.

“In spite of its previous actions to legitimise G4P, Goldsmiths now has to make clear that this is an antisemitic group and that it is holding an antisemitic celebration of the murder of a thousand Jews.”

Eleanor Mandelstam, a former student at Goldsmiths, described the joint Goldsmiths for Palestine/Feminist Library event as “disgraceful”.

“As a former head of Goldsmiths Jewish Society from 2008-10, I am sickened by the rise of antisemitism on campus (which was already appalling during my time there 15 years ago)”, she told Jewish News.

“To equate 7 October with Palestinian armed ‘resistance’ and for the event to be advertised as a movie screening ‘with snacks and refreshments’ is tone deaf and insensitive to the innocent Israeli civilians who were murdered, raped and massacred on that terrible day. I call on Goldsmiths SU to intervene to stop this appalling event and urgently support its Jewish and Israeli student body.”

Jewish News understand significant efforts are underway within the university itself to transform the reputation that the university has unfortunately developed within the UK’s Jewish community as a hotbed of extremism and antisemitic sentiments. In June the university publicly apologised after an independent inquiry came to the conclusion that a “culture” of antisemitism had been allowed to build up on campus, with issues identified both among students and staff at the institution. An antisemitism action plan advisory group set up in the wake of the publication of that independent report is believed to have the strong support of the College authorities, and is working closely on a comprehensive strategy to tackle the problematic culture within the institution.

A spokesperson for Goldsmiths confirmed that it had been contacted by members of the public regarding this event.

“We would like to make clear that these groups are not formally affiliated with the University and that the event is not taking place on our premises”, the college said.

“For clarity, this is an independent event being held away from our campus by two organisations which have no formal connection to the University.”

Professor Adam Dinham, Executive Dean and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Culture and Belonging at Goldsmiths, said: “We are implementing the antisemitism action plan developed in response to the KC-led inquiry which found antisemitism at Goldsmiths. We recognise the deep sensitivity over this event and we strongly encourage everyone in our community to be sensitive to others’ views when choosing to exercise their right to legal free speech.”