- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Keerthi Mohan
BRISTOL University’s ethnic minority officer is facing allegations of anti-Semitism after telling a Jewish student to “be like Israel and cease to exist.”
Omar Chowdhury had promised “zero tolerance for racism” after he was elected to the BME Chair position. But during a debate that turned heated on a Facebook group, Chowdhury told fellow student Izzy Posen that her comments were “like Israeli settlements: always popping up where they aren’t wanted.”
Chowdhury told the student that, “Just because you have an opinion does not mean it is valid and worth entertaining.”
Adding: “I never see you even try to contribute anything. You just always come with some hella smarmy, asinine s**t. So please, be like Israel and cease to exist.”
Calls are being made to remove Chowdhury from his position.
A comment on the Facebook group Bristruth read: “If they don’t kick them off the SU committee it is such a double standard.
“Jewish people are repeatedly swept under the rug. People are continually allowed to get way with this stuff. We need to set a precedent.
“This is clearly someone who shouldn’t be representing Bristol students. They are being both anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic.
“It personally makes me so uncomfortable as a Jewish student.”
Sally Patterson, Bristol University’s Equality, Liberation and Access officer, said the student union was investigating the case.
She posted in the group: “We are investigating the case under the SU Code of Conduct (our disciplinary procedure).
“Bristol SU takes accusations of antisemitism extremely seriously and will investigate fully and confirm the outcomes with both the students involved.”
