Campus Zionism: Dying or Thriving?

In the aftermath of October 7^th, 2023, anti-Zionism has become a trend on campus. With all the catchy chants and gimmicky watermelons, it has become the ‘It’ thing to hate Israel. Social media plays a huge role in this spread of uneducated hate, leading the masses astray – students have been told from classmates that they were ‘peer pressured into not talking to you.’

In light of this, campus Zionism is under attack. There are constant protests, walk-outs, and events held calling for “Zionists off our campus”- characterising Zionism alongside racism and Islamophobia. As this is perpetuated across campuses and social media, it has become the vocal majority’s opinion, leaving Jewish and Israeli students feeling unsafe. 

Not only are students questioning their physical safety on campus, they are also fearful of current employment possibilities as well as their future careers. A large number of Israeli and Jewish students will not tell people where they are from or the fact that they are Jewish for fear of ostracisation and financial repercussions. One would assume that in class this would not be a problem, however, these views and actions are not limited to students, as professors are openly anti-Zionist and antisemitic too. Students are left hiding their identity and keeping their views silent so as to “fit in” and keep up their grades. On multiple occasions students have felt compelled to argue against Israel in exams or essays to ensure a good mark. 

In spite of this, campus Zionism refuses to be silenced. New groups led by students have been springing up across British Universities. Some of these groups include Stop the Hate on Campus, and SSI (Students Supporting Israel) chapters at King’s College London, City St. George’s University, and Dublin City University. Together and individually, these student groups have led protests against antisemitism on campus and hosted events to help create dialogue on campus. 

A recent protest was held at LSE opposing a launch event for a book by Helena Cobban and Rami George Khouri entitled “Understanding Hamas and why that matters”. The protest was met with a large counter-protest arranged by two anti-Israel groups, @lseliberatedzone and London4pal calling to ‘Keep Fascists of our Campus’ calling the protest ‘Zionist Agitators’. A representative from the Stop the Hate UK responded to these allegations as ‘an example of the casual antisemitism that too often goes unchecked’, describing it as a kind of ‘Holocaust Inversion’ which has been ‘weaponized to maximise distress within the Jewish community.’

However, it did not stop at verbal antisemitism, as the inverted triangle, a symbol synonymous with the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, was displayed by the counter-protesters. Stop the Hate called out the ‘hate speech’ alongside the inverted triangle seen in the protest, which highlighted how the protest ‘successfully drew national attention to the university’s troubling decision to host the launch of Understanding Hamas, an event focused on a proscribed terrorist organisation.’ 

The growth of campus Zionism in light of all the anti-Zionism on campus has enraged the protesters, who stood mostly uncontested for 18 months. This led to the exposure of the blatant antisemitism students have experienced to the greater public. As Stop the Hate noted, ‘Jewish students are now actively fighting for their rights and protections, and hate will no longer go unchallenged.’ Therefore, though Zionism has become a dangerous topic on university campuses, some brave students alongside organisations such as Stop the Hate UK, Camera UK and StandWithUs UK have taken it upon themselves to rise to the challenge of growing antisemitism under the guise of anti-Zionism: to bring campus issues to light and ensure law enforcement and University management act. 

Students are here to say: Enough is Enough.