WATCH: UCL security removes hecklers at ambassador talk

Israeli ambassador Daniel Taub was heckled for five minutes at University College London this week before Palestinian supporters were forced from the room by security and he was allowed to finish speaking, reported the London Tab.

British-born Taub, who himself studied at UCL, was invited by the university’s International Relations Society, and was talking about Israel’s relations with the Palestinians and the Iranian nuclear programme when he was interrupted by two protestors. Several other students stood up to the protestors and demanded that the envoy be allowed to talk.

UCLU Friends of Palestine activist Layth Hanabli was among the agitators, and later called Taub “the representative of a terrorist state that is guilty of war crimes on a daily basis”

Following the event, which was chaired by UCL Philosophy Professor Daniel Rothschild, Jewish Society President Elliot Miller said Hanabli was “well-known for his lack of respect”.

Among those who were there to listen, second-year economics student Daniel Gross said: “Their plan to disrupt the event only made them look pathetic and immature while the Ambassador remained calm and tried to discuss their points with them.”

Another, Henry Tilbury, said: “I was also encouraged to see so many people of an apparently anti-Israel inclination there who listened with respect and asked sensible questions- it’s vital for people on all sides to try and understand other perspectives rather than trying to silence them.”

The talk started 30 minutes late as police and a team of Israeli security agents went through the building to ensure the ambassador’s safety, as up to 30 protesters held placards and banners outside.