Cardiff Uni students warned in email after alleged ‘serious incident’ of antisemitism

Students at Cardiff University have been warned about unacceptable behaviour following allegations of anti-Semitic misconduct on campus.

The email sent to students in the School of Mathematics disclosed that there had been “several anti-Semitic incidents” in which students posting inappropriate or disrespectful comments during in-class interactive polls within the maths department. The email stated that the department had been made aware of “overt anti-Semitism” and was working to identify those involved.

Following this, a second email was sent out to students of another department of Cardiff University. It stated that a “small number of isolated incidents of concerning behaviour” have been reported about students from the School of Architecture.

The email did not include any reports of anti-Semitic misconduct, however, reminded students that the school is a community that “respects” one another and that “all forms of harassment, bullying, victimisation are not tolerated”.

A spokesman from the maths department of Cardiff University in response to allegations of anti-Semitism said:

“We are very sorry to hear that any student feels unsafe on our campus. There is no place for anti-Semitism or hate of any faith at Cardiff University.

“Our university must be a safe space which is why we adopt a zero-tolerance attitude to harassment and discrimination of all kinds. We can assure students that we have robust procedures in place to investigate allegations of anti-Semitism and where it is found appropriate action will be taken.

“We recognise that the on going events are extremely challenging for many in our community – including our Jewish students. That’s why we have proactively reached out and continue to meet with our Jewish Society – and others – to hear their concerns first-hand.

“We have also reminded all students who witness or are the victim of such incidents to report them via our disclosure response team. These reporting routes are open to all members of our community whether they are the victim of, or witness to, any incident.

“Every single member of our community deserves dignity and respect. The diversity of viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds in our community makes us stronger. That’s why it is right, at the same time, that our commitment to freedom of speech and protest, within the law, remains central.”

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