Oxford student to face 2028 trial over alleged ‘Zios’ chant at Gaza protest
Student denies stirring up racial hatred after video filmed at Whitehall demonstration
An Oxford University student accused of chanting “put the Zios in the ground” at a pro-Gaza protest will stand trial in January 2028, a court has heard.
Samuel Williams, 21, has pleaded not guilty to stirring up racial hatred, following an incident at a Palestine Coalition demonstration in central London on 11 October last year.
Williams appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday, where he spoke only to confirm his name and enter his plea. He was granted conditional bail ahead of a trial scheduled for 17 January 2028.
The charge was brought after footage circulated online showing a man addressing a crowd in Whitehall. In the clip, the speaker tells protesters: “A steadfast and noble resistance in Palestine and in Gaza to look to, to be inspired by and – I don’t want to yap for too long – but a chant that we’ve been workshopping in Oxford that maybe you guys want to join in.” He then leads the chant: “Gaza, Gaza make us proud, put the Zios in the ground.”
The prosecution alleges Williams used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour during the demonstration.
Following his arrest, Oxford University confirmed that Williams had been suspended.
The case has drawn sharp concern within the Jewish community, where the term “Zios” is widely understood as an antisemitic slur, and where chants calling for people to be “put in the ground” are viewed as incitement to violence.
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