LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is calling for an end to “antisemitic abuse” at U.K. universities as protests against the war in Gaza expand and the government tries to head off the type of unrest seen on American campuses in recent weeks.
The comments came as Sunak and his education secretary prepared to meet with university leaders on Thursday at the prime minister’s offices in Downing Street.
“A vocal minority on our campuses are disrupting the lives and studies of their fellow students and, in some cases, propagating outright harassment and antisemitic abuse,” Sunak said in a statement. “This has to stop.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters have begun building encampments at universities around the U.K. over the past two weeks as students and academics call on the institutions to cut ties with Israel over its offensive in the Gaza Strip.
About a dozen encampments have been built at universities including Oxford and Cambridge in recent days. The demonstrations so far have been relatively small and peaceful, but some Jewish students have expressed concerns about antisemitism.
The number of antisemitic incidents on U.K. university campuses tripled last year as tensions rose over the war in the Middle East, according to the Communities Security Trust, which works to combat antisemitism in Britain.