UJS ‘concerned’ as Office for Students chair speaks at event featuring antisemite
Lord Wharton sent video message to Republican conference in Hungary, which platformed Zsolt Bayer a television talkshow host who previously called called Jews 'stinking excrement'
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
The Union of Jewish Students (UJS) have joined calls for the Conservative Party to explain why the chair of England’s university regulator participated in a conference for the Republican party, which also platformed a notorious racist and antisemite.
James Wharton, chair of the Office for Students (OfS), spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Hungary, Budapest last Friday.
Lord Wharton, who ran Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign, sent a video message to the conference.
That same day Zsolt Bayer a television talkshow host in Hungary appeared on the stage.
Bayer has previously called Jews “stinking excrement” and referred to Roma as “animals”, as well as demonising Black people.
The UJS issued a statement on Monday saying:”We are concerned by this issue and have contacted Lord Wharton to seek urgent clarification due to the impact this could have on Jewish students.”
In his speech, shared on Twitter, Wharton hailed the recent victory of the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán,
He also said Cpac was a “great chance to pick up new ideas”, to “reconnect with friends across the world” and to “fight for the values that we all hold dear.”
Jack Posobiec, a far-right US blogger who has been condemned for using antisemitic images also spoke as did former US president Donald Trump, and the former Ukip leader Nigel Farage.
Anneliese Dodds, the shadow women and equalities secretary and chair of the Labour party, called on the Conservatives to clarify whether Wharton was given permission to attend Cpac,
In a letter to the Tory co-chair Oliver Dowden, the Guardian reported that she wrote: “Will you urgently explain whether the Conservatives think it is acceptable for the chair of the Office for Students to publicly endorse Mr Orbán at a time when Lord Wharton is responsible for defending academic freedom in this country? And will you condemn Lord Wharton for sharing a platform with racists, antisemites and rightwing extremists?”
Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for education, said: “It’s incredibly disturbing that the head of the independent regulator for higher education moves in such circles. There’s no reasonable excuse for keeping such company.”
The OfS said Lord Wharton was not speaking in his capacity as chair as the OfS.
Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi told MPs on Monday, when questioned about Wharton: “I support the chair of the Office for Students for all his work that he’s doing in improving outcomes for students in our universities.”
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.
