When hate targets the grieving: a campus reckoning
Leeds Students Against Apartheid Coalition targeted a devastated father after the loss of his son - can universities still claim students are committed to the pursuit of knowledge?
Natan Rosenfeld grew up with many of us at Leeds University and he was kind hearted, sociable and full of life. When we heard that Avi, his father, would be coming to speak about Natan to our Jewish Society, we were grateful for the chance to share in his grief. We expected a moment of remembrance and community. What followed was far more disturbing.
The Leeds Students Against Apartheid Coalition, group unaffiliated with the university, posted a photo of Natan and his father and labelled them as war criminals.
The image showed a red triangle behind them (iconography associated with Hamas) and included a call to protest. The comments under the post were filled with hate and the post was shared widely.
This was not criticism or debate. It was a public act of intentional dehumanisation aimed at a grieving father and his murdered son.
This was not the first incident of this kind. The group has previously used its platform to glorify violence, to express support for proscribed terrorist organisations and to celebrate the taking of Israeli hostages.
These posts, which remain on their social media, have helped create an atmosphere of hostility and fear. Many Jewish and Israeli students now feel unable to share their identities or beliefs openly. It was only a matter of time before this rhetoric was directed at named individuals on campus.
Groups like this claim the language of social justice while practising the language of hatred. Their ideology leaves no room for compassion or curiosity about the experiences of others.
Universities must now answer a serious question. Are their students still committed to the pursuit of knowledge? These institutions are meant to support respectful debate and difficult discussion. Instead, extremists use them to find like minded people and to spread hostility under the banner of activism. Planning a demonstration against a grieving Israeli parent is not politics. It is a moral collapse.
This episode also exposed the limited control that universities and Student Unions have over such groups. Anyone can create an anonymous online page and circulate hate without consequence. It is unclear whether anything can be done to prevent this. That uncertainty adds to a growing lack of trust in our institutions and deepens the sense of fear felt by many students on campus.
Despite the intimidation, we hosted Avi with pride. The new context strengthened our resolve and encouraged even more people to attend in a show of solidarity, decency and humanity. Avi spoke with emotion and vulnerability. His tribute to Natan touched all our hearts. He reminded us of the value of strength and unity, and of the need to stand together when faced with intimidation.
Harassment will not silence us. It only shows why our presence, our voices and our resilience matter more than ever.
- Max Lanzkron, President of the Leeds Jewish Society 2024-25 and StandWithUs Emerson Fellow
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