Rishi Sunak says threats against University chaplain are ‘unacceptable’ as he calls for rejection of extremists

Rishi Sunak has described death threats against University of Leeds chaplain Rabbi Zecharia Deutsch as “unacceptable” as he announced action against extremism on campuses.

The Prime Minister, who was speaking at the Community Security Trust (CST) annual dinner on Wednesday, said: “what is happening right now on campuses is simply not acceptable.”

CST is a British charity whose purpose is to provide practical safety and security support to the Jewish community in the UK. 

Pro-Palestine protesters argue that it is inappropriate and “unsafe” for chaplain Rabbi Zecharia Deutsch to be responsible for student welfare and wellbeing at the University after he served as a reservist in the Israeli Defence Force.

An open letter sent to the vice-chancellor said: “He is expected to offer unbiased, indiscriminate advice and support to students of all backgrounds […] how can all students at the university still consider the chaplaincy as a safe space?”

Whilst the vast majority of protesters on campus do engage in lawful and peaceful protest, the Daily Mail reported last month that the chaplain and his family left their home on the advice of the police after receiving death threats.

Jewish students have also been threatened on campus in recent weeks, with police investigating after two Jewish students were abused on the way to prayer and “Free Palestine” graffiti appeared on a Jewish society building.

The Prime Minister told the attendees at the CST dinner that he has summoned university vice-chancellors to Downing Street to discuss how they plan to protect Jewish students amid a “culture of intimidation.”

“Jewish students are being targeted, threatened, and assaulted simply for being Jewish.

“The Chaplain at the University of Leeds having to take his family into hiding after death threats because he’s an IDF reservist.

“Iranian generals – let me say that again – Iranian generals – giving antisemitic speeches as people abuse the right to freedom of speech as a cover for hate speech. This cannot go on.”

Sunak said students who break the law “will be met with the full consequences.” He warned that international students who incite racial hatred will have their visas withdrawn. 

But he also called on university leaders to “take personal responsibility for protecting Jewish students in their institutions.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for the University of Leeds said: “We totally condemn the antisemitic abuse and threats directed towards the chaplain and his family – such attacks on any individual are unacceptable and will not be tolerated from members of the public or our University community. 

“The University is supporting West Yorkshire Police in their investigations and will continue to work with his employer, the University Jewish Chaplaincy, to ensure Rabbi Deutsch can provide the support that is so valued by Jewish students at Leeds and the other universities he serves in the Yorkshire region.  

“The University is committed, and indeed has a legal duty, to support free speech within the law. Whilst there have been many peaceful expressions of solidarity, we regularly remind everyone in our community of the legal limits of free speech – the University does not support any views or actions which seek to exclude or make any community feel unwelcome on campus.”

Muslim and pro-Palestine students have told this paper they also feel less safe on campus. They worry that the University has overlooked their concerns as there was initially little reference to Islamophobia in public statements and several complaints submitted to the University allegedly haven’t been dealt with.

In a separate address on Downing Street last night, the Prime Minister said that extremists were trying to undermine the UK’s “multi-faith democracy.” 

As the war continues to reverberate among communities in the UK, Sunak said that Jewish children were “fearful to wear their school uniform” and Muslim women were being “abused in the street for the actions of a terrorist group they have no connection with.”

He argued that Islamists and the far-right were “two sides of the same extremist coin” who both stand against British values.

He also called on protesters to stop extremists from “hijacking” their demonstrations, saying: “We must live together with those who protest. Don’t let the extremists hijack your marches.

“Let us prove these extremists wrong, and show that even when we disagree we will never be disunited from our common values of decency and respect.”

In reaction to the speech, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Prime Minister was “right to advocate unity and to condemn the unacceptable and intimidatory behaviour that we have seen recently.”

He said it was an “important task of leadership to defend our values and the common bonds that hold us together.”

Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey, however, said the British public would “take no lessons” from Sunak and the Conservative Party “who have sown the seeds of division for years.

“This is the same prime minister who made Suella Braverman his home secretary and Lee Anderson his party’s deputy chairman.”