University of Leeds admits causing offense

By · March 22, 2007

University of Leeds officials admitted that a motion passed last year ordering the Student Union to ignore complaints from the Jewish Society on campus was “deeply offensive.” In a speech last week, Vice Chancellor Michael Arthur said he felt it wasn’t clear that the motion “would be deeply offensive to Jewish students.” He added that he since had told the Palestinian Solidarity Group that it would continue to be allowed freedom of speech on campus, but not at the price of anti-Semitic behavior. As reported in JTA, the school’s Student Union was mandated in December to ignore complaints lodged by the Jewish Society “as long as Judaism as a faith is not offended,” causing an outcry from the campus’ and the country’s Jewish community. The order against the Jewish Society was co-authored by the campus’ Palestinian Solidarity Group.