Union of Jewish Students urges action after Oxford pupil calls for death of ‘Zios’

The Union of Jewish Students has described how it is “horrified” at video footage of an Oxford university student at last weekend’s anti-Israel protests in central London calling to “put Zios in the ground”, confirming that it has been in contact with the university, urging them to “act decisively”.

In footage shared widely across social media, a white, blonde-haired student wearing a keffiyeh appears to praise what he describes as “An upright, a steadfast and a noble resistance in Palestine and in Gaza to look to, to be inspired by.”

He goes on to say that he doesn’t want “to yap for too long”, and then refers to “a chant we’ve been workshopping in Oxford that maybe you guys want to join in, it goes ‘Gaza, Gaza, make us proud, put the Zios in the ground’.”

The man goes on to scream the chant, which is picked up by a number of people in the surrounding crowd.

The individual in question, who Jewish News understands is currently a student at the university, has been pictured in videos shared by Oxford Students Palestine Society. It is unclear whether where at Oxford and with whom this chant was ‘workshopped’.

The Union of Jewish Students said: “We are horrified by the footage of a University of Oxford student chanting to ‘put the Zios in the ground’. This violent rhetoric is unacceptable, with students calling for murder and employing a slur (“Zio”) coined by David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the KKK.

“Against the backdrop of rampant glorification of Hamas terrorism on campus this week, we call on universities to urgently take a stand against the endorsement of violence. We are in contact with the University of Oxford and urge them to act decisively in response to this deeply troubling incident.”

The incident has been reported to the Metropolitan Police. A spokesperson for the Met said: “Officers are investigating chants made at the demonstration in central London on Saturday, 11 October. Enquiries are ongoing.”

A University spokesperson said:

“The University of Oxford condemns, in the strongest possible terms, any language urging violence against groups of people or expressing any form of racial hatred. The University’s support for freedom of speech does not extend to any statements including such language.

“When such language is reported, we will always want to speak to the student concerned, and consider the matter under our disciplinary procedures in line with University and college policies.

“Oxford is unequivocal: there is no place for antisemitism, harassment, or discrimination within our community. We remain firmly committed to protecting the safety and dignity of all our students and staff.”