Hallam to pay £3,000 to student for not taking anti-Semitisim seriously

He found social media posts on Gaza offensive


A disabled Jewish student will be paid £3,000 in compensation after Sheffield Hallam University was found to not take his concerns about anti-Semitism seriously enough.

The recent graduate found the Palestine Society’s posts on Israel’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza to be offensive.

The Students’ Union reportedly told the student that his claims did not have any factual basis, but the Office of the Independent Adjudcator has now found there to be misconduct.

The higher education complaints body has ruled that the University “failed to properly turn its mind to the question of whether [he] had experienced harassment as a result of certain aspects of PalSoc’s social media activity”.

Sheffield Hallam was told to pay a total of £3,000 to the student, £2,500 for the main complaint and two sums of £250 for the nine-month delay and the ‘manner in which the University questioned [the student’s] ownership of the complaint’.

Although the university was found not to properly consider the concerns raised , OIA has pointed out that it is not for them to decide where the line is drawn between criticism of Israel and anti-Semitic posts.

“We have not reached a finding that aspects of PalSoc’s social media were anti-Semitic or that [the student] was racially or religiously harassed.”