Hundreds of university students attempt to block Jewish Society

Hundreds of students voted against the creation of a Jewish Society, after a member of the university's Amnesty International group urged students to oppose it on the basis that it is too “political”.

More than 200 Essex University students answered 'no' to the question "Should there be a Jewish society?"

Every new student group at Essex must win a majority in vote of existing society members in order for its creation to be ratified by the Student Union.  Recently ratified societies include the “K-Pop society”, the “Ted-X Society” and the “Pokemon Go Society”.

However, a representative of the university’s Amnesty International group urged students to vote against the Jewish Society, saying: “The society has mentioned it will celebrate Israeli national day which has nothing to do with Judaism.

“Until the society is politically neutral like every other religious society we will take a stance on this. So we urge you to please vote no until they are politically neutral”.

The Union of Jewish Students said it is “shameful” that a group “ostensibly concerned with human rights” has shown “such disregard for human decency and the rights of all peoples to freely explore and full express their distinct identity”.

Will Quince, the Conservative MP for Colchester, described the vote as "shocking" and "terrible". Stella Creasy, the Labour MP for Walthamstow, added that the vote was "awful".

Meanwhile, the university has launched an “urgent” investigation into one of its academics who opposed the creation of the Jewish Society, reportedly exclaiming on Facebook that “the Zionists next want to create a society here at our university!”

Dr Maaruf Ali, a lecturer in computers and electronics at Essex, also shared a photo from a far-right website which claimed that one of the French policemen killed in the January 2015 attack by Islamist terrorists in Paris was actually “a Mossad agent live and well in Buenos Aires… a crypto-Jew in the service of Israeli intelligence”.

Amanda Bowman, vice president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said the hundreds of that Dr Ali’s social media posts were “abhorrent”, adding that students who voted against the creation of a Jewish Society were guilty of "pure and simple” racism.

A University of Essex spokeswoman said: "As a university, we promote debate and deliberation of controversial issues and, within the limits of the law, encourage students and staff to express views with rigour and conviction.”

An Essex student union spokesman said: "We believe strongly in the power of democracy and as a Union led by students we give our members the opportunity to decide on everything we do, from who leads the organisation through to whether a society should be ratified.

"It is important to us that this is process is followed properly and we therefore look forward to a free and fair vote concluding next week."

Kerry Moscogiuri, a director at Amnesty and International, said: “The comments made by a member of the University of Essex Amnesty group on the proposed manifesto for the new Jewish Society at Essex University do not reflect the view of the Essex University Amnesty Society and Amnesty International UK.

"Whilst they were well intentioned, their view to conflate Israel Independence Day with the human rights abuses committed by the Israeli authorities is wrong."

“Essex University has not had a Jewish Society for a number of years and there is definitely a need for one to be set up – a view that is championed by the Amnesty group there.”