Register of Racism and Resistance (RRR)

UK universities paying millions in agent fees to secure international students
19 November 23
The Observer reveals that universities pay millions to recruit international students annually, with one university spending £28 million on agents’ fees last year, as one-fifth of annual income from UK universities comes from international students.
Source: Observer
Category: EDUCATION
Country: UK
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“Parents vigilant”: teachers’ unions call for action over harassment by far-right activists
16 November 23
French trade unions demand action from the education minister after ‘Vigilant Parents’, an offshoot of Eric Zemmour’s Reconquête party that campaigns against ‘wokist, LGBT and pro-immigration propaganda’, targets schools and teachers for online harassment, distributes their addresses and organises rallies outside schools.
Source: L’Humanité
Category: EDUCATION
Country: France
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Schools in England block lessons on Middle East over fears of bias claims
5 November 23
The Observer reports that only 27 schools in England currently teach a module on the Middle East, as fears of bias claims mean students are prevented from learning about the history of Palestine. In 2020, fewer than 2 percent of GCSE history students in England studied a module on the Middle East.
Source: Observer
Category: EDUCATION
Country: UK
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Leeds University looks into postponed football match between Jewish and Arab societies
3 November 23
Leeds University’s Student Union is investigating allegations of antisemitism made by the university’s Jewish society, Hapoel Hyde Park, over the postponement of a football match with the university’s Arab Society FC due to the ArabSoc team’s discomfort at playing during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Source: Guardian
Category: EDUCATION
Country: UK
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Statewatch | Campaign celebrates success as three English universities divest from the border industry
2 November 23
The University of Kent, Northumbria University and Worcester University formally divest from companies profiting from border controls, as £300 million of university endowments remain invested in the border industry.
Source: Statewatch
Category: EDUCATION
Country: UK, EU
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The Prevent duty and its chilling effect on human rights
2 November 23
: Amnesty International’s latest report warns against Prevent-linked restrictions and monitoring of Palestinian activism at universities and by other public bodies as examples of violations of international human rights obligations.
Source: Amnesty Internationa l
Category: EDUCATION
Country: UK
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In defense of the freedom to speak out against genocide
1 November 23
: The British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (Academic Freedom Committee) defends Dr. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, Palestinian Israeli visiting chair in Global Law at Queen Mary, University of London , after her employer, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem denounces her for signing a petition , supported by 1,000 childhood researchers, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. HUJ says the petition’s claim that Israel is committing ‘genocide’ in Gaza, is not far from the crimes of ‘incitement’ and ‘rabble rousing’ and its claim that the occupation of Palestine began 75 years ago is a denial of Israel’s right to exist.
Source: Mondoweiss
Category: EDUCATION
Country: UK
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UKRI suspends equality body over Israel posts
31 October 23
: Following criticism from science secretary Michelle Donelan for ‘unacceptable’ and ‘extremist’ social media posts related to the Israel-Hamas ‘conflict, UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) suspends operations of the Research England Equality Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group. A letter signed by 2,500 academics says the minister’s intervention ‘marks an attempt to create a climate of fear to deter academics from expressing opposition to grave human rights violations by Israel’.
Source: THE
Category: EDUCATION
Country: UK
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Warsaw university suspends Norwegian student over “Keep world clean” banner at Palestine march
30 October 23
: In Poland, the Medical University of Warsaw suspends a Norwegian student for holding a placard featuring an Israeli flag being thrown into a bin alongside the words ‘Keep the world clean’. The Israeli ambassador denounces the banner as ‘blatant antisemitism’, while the student says it was aimed at the Israeli government and not Jews. Four other students are under investigation for comments made on social media.
Source: Notes from Poland
Category: EDUCATION
Country: Poland
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Met to increase intelligence gathering in London schools amid Israel-Gaza tensions
29 October 23
: The Met writes to headteachers in the London boroughs of Wandsworth, Richmond and Kingston and Merton advising them that, in the context of the Israel-Hamas war, the police are increasing ‘visible patrols’ at schools and ‘seeking to engage with school staff’ about ‘community tensions’ in order to improve ‘intelligence and information-gathering’.
Source: Guardian
Category: EDUCATION
Country: UK
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Historian criticises ‘spineless’ cancellation of Israel lecture
24 October 23
The Union of Jewish Students reports over 150 calls to its dedicated hotline reporting incidents of verbal abuse, intimidation and the targeting of Jewish students’ accommodation. In one incident, a WhatsApp group used by a Jewish society was infiltrated and bombarded with antisemitic threats.
Source: THE
Category: EDUCATION
Country: UK
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‘Chilling effect’ preventing debate on Israel-Gaza, say academics
24 October 23
Academics specialising in the Middle East warn that the debate about the current situation in Israel and Gaza is being stifled because of an ‘atmosphere of fear’ caused by cancellations, online threats and government rhetoric, with universities not doing enough to protect free speech and academic freedom. The cancellation by Liverpool Hope University of a planned lecture on Israel by Oxford historian Avi Shlaim because of concerns about the ‘well-being and safety’ of its students is cited.
Source: THE
Category: EDUCATION
Country: UK
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UK: Israel and Palestine protest policing must respect human rights
20 October 23
Amnesty International criticises letters sent out by the education secretary to vice-chancellors, schools and college leaders, which include references to the Prevent duty, saying it should not be used as a ‘pretext to unduly restrict freedom of expression or association in schools and colleges’.
Source: AI
Category: EDUCATION
Country: UK
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Andrew Tate’s ‘university’ capitalises on anti-education rhetoric
18 October 23
Misogynist Andrew Tate, under investigation for human trafficking allegations in Romania, buys the domain name university.com in an attempt to move into ‘online education’ and teach ‘real life skills’.
Source: Times Higher Education
Category: EDUCATION
Country: Romania
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Union calls for greater protection of Jewish students in UK universities
18 October 23
The Union of Jewish Students writes to all university student unions and vice-chancellors calling for greater support for Jewish students and zero tolerance of any sign of support for Hamas.  
Source: Guardian
Category: EDUCATION
Country: UK
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