‘Pure unfiltered hatred!’ Counter-terror police launch investigation after Oxford speaker praised ‘Hamas heroes’
Counter-terror police have launched an investigation into reports that a speaker at an Oxford Union debate expressed support for Hamas by describing the October 7 attacks as “acts of heroism”.
The comments were made last week during a debate on whether “Israel is an apartheid state responsible for genocide”.
Several complaints have been made to police about remarks by pro-Palestinian activist Miko Peled, which are now being examined by specialist counter-terror officers, according to The Telegraph.
Expressing support for a proscribed organisation is illegal under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Student newspaper Cherwell reported that, during the debate, Peled said: “What we saw on October 7 was not terrorism… these were acts of heroism of a people who have been oppressed.”
The remarks came during a debate on the motion: “This house believes Israel is an apartheid state responsible for genocide.”
The motion was ultimately carried with 278 votes in favour and 59 against.
Jonathan Sacerdoti, the son of a Holocaust survivor and one of the opposing speakers, raised a point of order during the debate, saying that he believed Peled’s remarks constituted a “criminal offence”.
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“I believe you should invite the police in. His depiction of the acts of Hamas on Oct 7 is, under UK law – the Terrorism Act 2000 – illegal,” Sacerdoti told the Oxford Union’s President.
Union President Ebrahim Osman Mowafy reportedly responded by saying: “I’m not legal enforcement.”
Following the debate, a group of 300 academics, including Baroness Deech, Professor Sir Vernon Bogdanor and philosopher Professor Peter Hacker, wrote to Lord Hague, who has been newly-elected as the university’s chancellor.
Their open letter condemned the “inflammatory rhetoric, aggressive behaviour and intimidation” during the debate.
The Oxford Israel Society said: “It was pure unfiltered hatred. We left the debate feeling physically ill and unsafe, ultimately deciding to leave together rather than alone.”
The academics called the debate a “failure on all counts,” suggesting that it subjected Jewish students to “antisemitism and intimidation”.
A spokesperson for Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said: “CTPSE is aware of reports of a person expressing support for a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas, at the Oxford Union on Thursday Nov 28 and enquiries are ongoing.”
Osman Mowafy defended the management of the debate, claiming that all opposition speakers were given adequate time and any heckling was “shut down”.
He added that video recordings of the speeches would be released on YouTube “where these matters can be judged better.”