Royal Holloway suspends Friends of Palestine society amid Hezbollah-linked fundraising claims

Royal Holloway Students’ Union has suspended its Friends of Palestine society after reopening and widening an investigation into allegations that student-raised funds were donated to a group accused of links to Hezbollah.

The decision follows weeks of complaints by Royal Holloway student Brodie Mitchell, who alleges the society made multiple donations to Zayir UK, an unregistered organisation that says it supports humanitarian projects in Lebanon. Mitchell alleges the group has links to Hezbollah, which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK.

In a statement to Jewish News, a Royal Holloway Students’ Union spokesperson said: “We are aware of allegations made against this group and can confirm that an active investigation is currently underway. We have taken measures to suspend the group pending the outcomes of the investigation. We will continue to review all available evidence as part of this process.

“We are working with the relevant authorities and will ensure we meet any requests they have.

“As this remains an active investigation, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”

The latest decision comes after the Students’ Union completed an initial investigation into Mitchell’s earlier complaint. In its findings, the Union said the Friends of Palestine committee for 2025-26 had “failed to follow the agreed procedures for charity donations” and that it has “no knowledge” of the fundraising activity because the donation “fell outside of our financial processes”.

The Students’ Union also said it had informed both the university and the Charity Commission of its initial investigation and would cooperate with any appropriate authority if required.

Mitchell claims the society donated £1,820 from one fundraiser to Zayir UK. He also alleges that after raising £3,425.95 during a fundraising campaign on 4 January 2025, 30 percent of the proceeds were again allocated to the organisation.

Material seen by Jewish News includes screenshots of fundraising pages appearing to show Zayir UK listed as a beneficiary of the campaign, alongside correspondence between Mitchell and the Students’ Union concerning the donations.

Mitchell also highlighted screenshots appearing to show Students’ Union officer accounts reacting positively to a Friends of Palestine social media post promoting the fundraiser, despite the Union later stating there was “no evidence to suggest our Officers knowingly engaged with a social media post in the way set out in your letter.”

Other images supplied by Mitchell include a photograph that appears to show a woman he identifies as being associated with Zayir UK standing beside another woman wearing a Hezbollah-branded scarf at a charity event. A separate screenshot, which Mitchell says was later deleted, appears to show a social media account named Zayer Charity Association paying tribute to former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Mitchell has also alleged the society organised fundraising for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and UNRWA, and criticised fundraising events held on 6 and 7 October.

The allegations have drawn renewed attention to Zayir UK. Earlier this year, Jewish News revealed that the organisation’s founder, Hussein Harake, was stripped of his Heathrow Airport security pass after Heathrow was alerted to his public tributes to Hezbollah fighters.

In an interview previously reported by the Sunday Times, Harake said Zayir’s work in Lebanon was organised with Hezbollah’s “social work”. His sister also reportedly told an Arabic news outlet that the organisation cooperated with institutions linked to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Zayir UK has denied any political affiliation, saying it operates in accordance with UK law and provides humanitarian aid to all Lebanese communities. The Charity Commission previously declined an application by Zayir UK to become a registered charity.

Writing to Vice-Chancellor Professor Julie Sanders, Mitchell described the case as “a serious safeguarding and Prevent duty issue” and called for a university-level investigation.

A Royal Holloway University spokesperson said: “Royal Holloway Students’ Union (RHSU) is an independent organisation and is responsible for overseeing the activities of its societies and the application of its own policies and procedures.

“RHSU is currently investigating concerns relating to fundraising activity by one of its societies and has taken precautionary measures while that investigation is underway. The University has been updated on those measures and remains in regular contact with RHSU and relevant external bodies as appropriate.

“We take matters of this nature seriously and are considering issues that fall within our own remit in accordance with University procedures and statutory responsibilities.

“We will continue to review the findings of the investigation and any further action required within the University’s powers and responsibilities will be taken in line with those procedures.

“As there are ongoing processes relating to this matter, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.”

Previously, writing on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Royal Holloway’s Chief Student Officer, Dr Nick Barratt, said the university was “actively liaising with the relevant external authorities regarding this situation and was “investigating the actions of individual students connected to this matter under the University’s procedures.”

In a separate email, Dr Barratt said the university and Students’ Union would continue strengthening their joint approach to safeguarding and student conduct to address “extremist behaviour on our campuses, including antisemitic or anti-Muslim sentiment or ideology.”

The Students’ Union has not publicly said whether its reopened investigation will uphold or dismiss the allegations concerning Zayir UK. The suspension does not amount to a finding of wrongdoing, and Friends of Palestine has not publicly responded to the allegations.

Jewish News has contacted Friends of Palestine and Zayir UK for comment.