08 March 2024
StandWithUs UK express our sympathy and admiration for Rojin and the brave students who held the Israel stall at Exeter University on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.
They did not deserve the demeaning abuse and harassment they experienced.
Universities like Exeter have failed at their core mission of providing a space for healthy debate and discussion in their tolerance for violent and extremist individuals who feel empowered to bully those with whom they disagree.
The incident was reported in the Daily Mail:
"Jewish students told of their terror today after 100 pro-Palestine protesters mobbed a stall where they were raising awareness about antisemitism.
The Jewish group said they were screamed at and had orange squash thrown at them by some members of the counter-protesters.
The stallholders said the ordeal, which took place just before 3pm on Wednesday at the University of Exeter, left them 'absolutely broken'.
One Jewish student, 20-year-old Rojin-Sena Cantay, told MailOnline the students felt subjected to intimidation and anti-semitic abuse.
'I am absolutely broken to put it into words. We got assaulted with juice thrown on us,' she said.
'We were surrounded by a group of over 100 people.'
'They were all in a circle screaming at us. It was one of the most scary things of my life.
'They came in groups and it was very sudden that the group got so big.'
One person, who works as an advocate for Jewish students, said one Jewish student was crying and begging a police officer not to leave."
About StandWithUs UK:
StandWithUs is an international, non-profit and non-partisan Israel education organisation that works to inspire and educate people of all ages about Israel, as well as challenge misinformation and fight against antisemitism. Founded in 2010, StandWithUs UK has become a recognised support system and leading resource for students on UK campuses. We empower and energise students and communities with leadership training and educational programmes on both school and university campuses. StandWithUs informs through social media, printed materials, digital platforms, film and newsletters. The StandWithUs flagship Emerson Fellowship programme seeks to raise students into future leaders, equipped to stand strong in the face of antisemitism and anti-Zionism. We believe in the right of the Jewish People to self-determination in their historic homeland of Israel. We educate the facts in an unbiased and holistic manner, with an open mind, reflecting on views from all sides of the political, social and humanitarian spectrum whilst promoting peace. StandWithUs UK believe the current discourse surrounding Israel on campus all too often crosses the line between legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies and the dangerous, mainstream, antisemitic rhetoric which stands contrary to the IHRA definition of antisemitism. We work to educate on that distinction, encourage civil discourse on legitimate criticism of Israel, and to fight antisemitism wherever it emerges.
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