Police assess complaint over Oxford Union president’s alleged Hamas comments
Thames Valley Police confirm discussions with counter-terror officers after complaint over leaked WhatsApp messages
Police are assessing a complaint against the former president of the Oxford Union after leaked WhatsApp messages appeared to defend Hamas and justify the terrorist group’s actions.
Thames Valley Police confirmed it is examining allegations relating to support for a proscribed terrorist organisation following a complaint submitted by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).
The complaint relates to messages attributed to former Oxford Union president Arwa Elrayess, 20, in which she described Hamas as a “resistance group” and appeared to justify the terrorist group’s actions.
According to screenshots of the messages, Elrayess wrote in a student WhatsApp group in September 2025: “Any resistance group will inevitably be deemed a ‘terrorist’ organisation by the West until they achieve their liberation (by which time, they’ll be lauded as heroes, as history has repeatedly proven).”
She also wrote: “I think the severity of resistance is often proportional to the severity of oppression.”
When challenged by another student, Elrayess added: “Some would argue it’s less than proportional. Have u seen what Israel has put Palestinians through for decades???”
The messages were reportedly shared in a WhatsApp group containing more than 100 Oxford students.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: “We can confirm that we are aware of a complaint relating to an allegation of support of a proscribed terror organisation in Oxford. We are continuing to assess this allegation and have been in discussion with Counter Terrorism Policing South East.”
UKLFI said it has referred the matter to both Thames Valley Police and the Metropolitan Police.
A spokesperson for the organisation said: “The comments made by Ms. Elrayess in the WhatsApp group are deeply concerning. In our view, repeatedly describing Hamas as ‘the resistance movement’ and appearing to justify the atrocities committed on 7 October risks legitimising a proscribed terrorist organisation.”
The spokesperson added: “Freedom of expression is a fundamental value in a democratic society, but does not extend to encouraging support for terrorism or excusing acts of mass murder.
“Where statements appear to express support for a proscribed organisation and are communicated to an audience of younger students, there are legitimate questions about whether such conduct falls within the scope of the Terrorism Act.”
Elrayess denied wrongdoing and suggested the complaint was an attempt to silence her views.
She told the New York Post: “In my opinion, this is nothing more than an attempt to suppress voices like mine and to deny me the right to express my views – a strategy that groups like UK Lawyers for Israel have deployed for some time because they know they cannot successfully challenge the facts of the matter.”
An Oxford Union spokesperson said Elrayess served as president during Trinity Term 2026 and that her term of office ended on 20 June.
The spokesperson added that the Oxford Union had not been contacted directly by police regarding the complaint
The Oxford Union president survived a vote of no confidence earlier this month following separate controversies surrounding her leadership of the society.
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