Student who used ‘deeply anti-Semitic rhetoric’ elected at Exeter Uni
Jewish leaders criticised the ‘disappointing but not surprising’ election of 25-year-old Malaka Shwaikh to Exeter University Student Union
Jewish student representatives have said it is “disappointing but not surprising” that the only candidate to lead the Student Union at the University of Exeter has used “deeply anti-Semitic rhetoric”.
Post-graduate student Malaka Shwaikh, 25, also known as Malaka Mohammed, previously studied law and politics at Sheffield, and is active in student politics, having been one of 15 student representatives on the National Executive Council at the National Union of Students.
She recently led campus protests against U.S. President Donald Trump, but it is her comments about Israel that have most concerned Jewish students, with Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) highlighting past comments, such as a tweet to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, reading: “The shadow of the Holocaust continues to fall over us from the continuous Israeli occupation of Palestine to the election of Trump”.
The group said she Shwaikh also claimed that “Zionism ideology is no different than that of Hitler’s” and that “Hitler did his deed and the Palestinians had to pay for it.”
A spokeswoman at the Union of Jewish Students this week said: “It is a disappointing but unsurprising state of affairs that a person who has used deeply antisemitic rhetoric on social media can be elected in a Student Union election.
“There is no way that any individual who compares the Israeli government to the Nazi regime, a comparison recognised as anti-Semitic according to the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism, can adequately represent the Jewish students at their university or in their Students’ Union.”
A spokesman for Exeter Jewish Society said the matter had been raised and investigations were ongoing, so declined to comment further at this stage.
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.
- Malaka Shwaikh
- Malaka Mohammed
- News
- Students
- Student News
- Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA)
- anti-Zionism
- University of Sheffield
- National Executive Council
- National Union of Students National Executive Committee
- NUSNEC
- University of Exeter
- Antisemitism
- Union of Jewish Students (UJS)
- Donald Trump
- National Union of Students (NUS)
- Israeli Apartheid Week
