London university hosts event on ‘understanding Hamas’ led by professor who claimed that labelling Hamas terrorists was an ‘obstacle to peace’

A London university is hosting an event on “understanding Hamas”, led by a professor who taught civil servants that labelling Hamas as terrorists was an “obstacle to peace”.

Students at The London School of Economics (LSE) received an email on Monday evening advertising an upcoming event titled “Understanding Hamas and Why That Matters.”

The event, which will be hosted by the school’s Middle East Centre on March 10, was described as a launch for a new book of the same name.

The description read: “Across Western mainstream discourse, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has been subjected to intense vilification. Branding it as ‘terrorist’ or worse, this demonisation intensified after the events in Southern Israel on October 7, 2023.”

“This book does not advocate for or against Hamas. Rather, in a series of rich and probing conversations with leading experts, it aims to deepen understanding of a movement that is a key player in the current crisis”

“It looks at, among other things, Hamas’s critical shift from social and religious activism to national political engagement; the delicate balance between Hamas’s political and military wings; and its transformation from early anti-Jewish tendencies to a stance that differentiates between Judaism and Zionism.”

Jewish students at LSE described being disturbed by the email, with one second year named Ryan telling GB News: “It’s become clear that LSE does not care about its Jewish or Israeli students.

“For a higher education institution, which I am paying a lot of money to be at, to promote the discourse that students should seek to ‘understand’ terrorists is deplorable.”

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“It is explicit in stating that Hamas should not be branded as terrorists (despite being proscribed as such by the UK Government) but then goes on to say it does not advocate for or against Hamas. These two statements are mutually exclusive.

“If the authors (who have been endorsed by the LSE) disagree with the UK Government on its proscription of Hamas as a terrorist organisation, they are advocating for Hamas.”

The geography student went on to describe feeling scared at the fact that his fellow peers support similar rhetoric, saying he rarely frequents campus anymore due to the hostile environment.

A member of LSE’s Jewish Society (Jsoc) who wished to remain anonymous echoed similar feelings, saying there was “widespread shock and worry among Jewish and Israeli students and staff as we received news of this event which essentially condones Hamas in its assertion that it has transformed ‘from early anti-Jewish tendencies to a stance that differentiates between Judaism and Zionism.’”

One of the people advertised as a speaker at the event is visiting LSE Professor Jeroen Gunning, who led a seminar held by The Foreign Office in February 2024 at which officials were told that calling Hamas terrorists was an “obstacle to peace”.

In the same seminar, it was suggested that Israel was a “white, settler colonialist nation,” with Professor Gunning reportedly claiming that there could be “no future without Hamas.”

In response to backlash, The Jewish Chronicle reported that a Foreign Office spokesman vowed to “review guidance on internal seminars to ensure speakers invited are appropriate.”

A Jewish Master’s student who wished to stay anonymous told the people’s channel she was very “disappointed” LSE’s Middle East Centre thought it appropriate to host someone like this.

“These aren’t pragmatic views, they are extremely problematic,” she said, “To have him as one of the panelists is further indicative of how problematic the event will be.”

Hitting out at Gunning’s defence of Hamas in face of their constant human rights violations and mistreatment of citizens, she added: “I don’t think any Palestinian leadership that treats its people as a cause (as it has very clearly stated on multiple occasions that they will continue fighting and sacrificing their own people), rather than a nation/nationality, will actually achieve anything meaningful or peaceful in the future.”

“There is no future with Hamas.”

Ryan added that Gunning’s statement was equivalent to saying “there can be no future without the KKK”.

The book on “understanding Hamas” featured at the LSE event features several activists, including Azzam Tamimi, who was previously investigated by the police for delivering a lecture at London’s School of African and Oriental Studies where he praised Hamas, calling himself a terrorist.

“Today Hamas is considered a terrorist organisation because that’s what the Americans and Israelis and cowardly politicians of Europe want, but what is so terrorist about it?”

“You shouldn’t be afraid of being labelled extreme, radical or terrorist. If fighting for your home land is terrorism, I take pride in being a terrorist. The Koran tells me if I die for my homeland, I’m a martyr and I long to be a martyr,” he said.

When GB News reached out to LSE for comment on the event and its contents, they replied: “Free speech and freedom of expression underpins everything we do at LSE.

“Students, staff and visitors are strongly encouraged to discuss and debate the most pressing issues around the world.”

“We host an enormous number of events each year, covering a wide range of topics and points of view.

“We have clear policies in place to ensure the facilitation of debates in these events and enable all members of our community to refute ideas lawfully, to protect individual’s rights to freedom of expression within the law.”

The Jsoc member described how a recurring theme in the university’s response when Jewish students complain is claiming they have to protect freedom of speech.

She said: “We are often told because of legal reasons, for example protecting freedom of speech, there is not much recourse when we have an issue.”

The master’s student added: “I do believe in freedom of speech but I think it’s sad how easy it is to host such controversial speakers who spew misinformation about Israel.”