British university campuses feel like '1930s Germany' for Jewish students, minister warned

British university campuses feel like “1930s Germany” for Jewish students, the higher education minister has been warned.

Michelle Donelan was urged to take tougher action to ensure Jewish students are protected from anti-Semitism on campus such as cutting off funding or removing senior leaders who fail to tackle the issue.

During an education select committee hearing, she was told that the way Bristol University has treated its Jewish students is a “disgrace”.

It comes after the Russell Group institution launched an investigation after one of its academics, Professor David Miller over his remarks about Jewish students.

Earlier this year, Prof Miller denounced Jewish students for waging a "campaign of censorship" amid calls that he be sacked after calling for an end to "Zionism as a functioning ideology of the world".

He said that Jewish student groups who complained about him to Bristol University were attempting to “drive to stop anyone speaking out about Palestine”.

His behaviour had led to Jewish students "being subjected to weeks of harassment and abuse", the select committee heard.

Robert Halfon, the Tory chair of the committee, told Ms Donelan: "Students should not feel that they're living in 1930s Germany who go to Bristol University and other universities.

"I think it's become such a serious national issue, [it has] been raised in Parliament a number of times, that you should take a proactive role and do what you can to speak to the senior management and tell them to get a grip and deal with this once and for all."

Ms Donelan denied that she was "washing her hands" of the issue and stressed that incidents of anti-Semitism at universities was "an area of focus" for the Government.

In October, Gavin Williamson warned that universities could have their funding cut if they refused to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism.

Michelle Donelan said that 98 universities have signed up to the definition, but MPs criticised institutions which have so far failed to adopt it. 

Mr Halfon said: "There's been some awful things going on in terms of Jewish students. They feel unsafe, they feel unprotected, they feel that now the university is a a hotbed of anti-Semitism, and yet all the Government can do is say 'we'll wait for a review and not intervene'.

"I mean, surely you should look at things like funding, or at least meet with the vice-chancellor early on and say 'What on earth is going on here? Why do thousands of Jewish students feel that Bristol University is not a safe place for Jews?'."

He added: "There's nothing to stop you picking up the phone and saying to the vice-chancellor 'What on earth is going on? Get your act together. Do something. Protect these students which is your duty to protect them.' Rather than to wash your hands of it and say they're autonomous."

Meanwhile, Jonathan Gullis, Conservative MP for Stoke on Trent North, called for academics who have allegedly made anti-Semitic comments to be sacked, and for the Office for Students to be able to remove vice-chancellors from their posts if they fail to tackle anti-Semitism.

He said: "Until we start bringing that kind of scrutiny and action into our university sector, like you would do if you were in a primary or secondary school, these incidents will keep happening."

But Ms Donelan said: "We can't sack professors, or people like that, because we are not their employers and this is the difference with the university sector because they are autonomous, we haven't actually hired them."

However, she added: "I agree with you that certain universities do need to go further on this area and it is deeply concerning that Jewish students feel put off from applying to certain universities. That's not modern Britain and that's not the country that we all want to live in."