Elham Asaad Buaras
The rector of St Andrews University has been subjected to racist abuse for accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Stella Maris, who is black, said Palestinians had suffered “apartheid, siege, illegal occupation, and collective punishment” during the Israel-Gaza war.
In a message to students sent on November 21, Maris described how a vigil at the university was held earlier this month “following weeks of genocidal attacks by the Israeli government against Gaza”.
She said, “We must continue to recognise and condemn acts that are internationally regarded as humanitarian and war crimes.
“It is also crucial to acknowledge and denounce the actions by Hamas that qualify as war crimes, notably the taking of hostages and deliberately targeting civilians, which I have and continue to do.”
The email also included a link to a website that carried a story headlined “The evidence Israel killed its own citizens on Oct 7.”
Maris has rejected accusations that the message to students was antisemitic and argued her use of the terms genocide and apartheid was “supported by numerous human rights organisations.”.
Speaking to BBC Scotland News, Maris, who was elected rector on October 10, said: “I have received a lot of backlash, and it’s quite disappointing. I really tried to write a statement that would make everyone happy, but I realised I wasn’t being true to my beliefs. I’m glad I did it and it was the right thing to do.”
Maris said she denounces antisemitism but rejects “the weaponising of antisemitism.”
The rector added, “I’ve had racist comments as a result and have been accused of antisemitism, which I reject. I don’t intend on retracting my statement or resigning. I denounce antisemitism in the strongest form. Reject the weaponizing of antisemitism.”
St Andrews University said it was “dismayed” by the rector’s comments.
The row came as hundreds of people attended demonstrations in Scotland on November 25 calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
First Minister Humza Yousaf and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar took part in the Scottish Trades Union Congress’s (STUC) annual St Andrew’s Day protest, which saw marchers gather at Glasgow Green.
Asked about the St Andrews rector’s comments, he said: “There are communities—Jewish communities, Muslim communities—who are feeling vulnerable, and all of us have a responsibility to make sure we are simmering down any of those tensions as opposed to inflaming them.
“We can do that while very passionately arguing that what’s happening in Gaza is unacceptable.”
However, a large group of students at the university, which was founded in 1413 and is one of the oldest in the UK, insisted Maris’s comments “will only bring division and hatred.”
They are now calling for her to apologise or step down.
In a letter to the rector, they say, “We are concerned that your letter does not demonstrate equal care for Palestinian and Israeli lives.
“What is truly unacceptable is that you do not care to mention, let alone demonstrate regard for, the two St Andrews students who were recently attacked because of their religion.
“Moreover, your letter does not show any appreciation for how your inflammatory and unfounded accusations of ‘genocide,’ ‘apartheid,’ and ‘occupation’ concerning the Jewish State will further embolden attacks and hatred against the Jewish students whom you were elected to care for.
“It is unacceptable for the rector to be selective in their responsibility to represent all students.”
Maris is a former English and philosophy graduate at the university and has since filled a series of student representation roles.
St Andrews University principal and vice-chancellor, Prof Dame Sally Mapstone, said the university was committed to free speech but that there was “no place for antisemitism, Islamophobia, or racism of any kind”.
She added: “We are utterly dismayed that the rector, on this occasion, put her right to freedom of expression ahead of her duty to represent all students, and to be concerned for their welfare.
“We know that while some may have welcomed the message, others have been deeply offended and concerned by it.
“While every one of us shares a desire for peace and an end to hostilities in Israel and Gaza, we regret that her message, the language it used, and some of the sources it cited have caused alarm, division, and harm in our community, and more widely.”
More than 15,900 Palestinians, including 250 health workers, have been killed in Gaza since the outbreak of war on October 7, the Palestinian health minister announced on December 5.
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