Arwa Elrayess was called to resign after declaring, in a WhatsApp group of more than a hundred future students, that it was “quite ironic” to “pretend to be shocked” in the face of the actions of October 7.
La présidente de la Oxford Union (société de débat), Arwa Elrayess, a affirmé que le Hamas serait un jour “acclaimed like a hero” and described the attacks of October 7, 2023 as « proportionnées ». According to leaked messages, she also suggested that he was “Quite ironic” that people “they would pretend to be shocked” by the atrocities perpetrated that day, given the treatment that Israel reserves for the Palestinians, according to her.
According to The Telegraphthese statements were made within a WhatsApp group bringing together more than a hundred future students of philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford. She also wrote there: “Correct me if I’m wrong, folks, but from what I know, Hamas is literally the government of Palestine. The West simply calls it a terrorist group because it does not recognize it.”
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Following these revelations, Arwa Elrayess, of Palestinian origin, was the subject of demands for his resignation, and the University of Oxford was invited to open an investigation. A spokesperson for the association « Oxford Students Against Discrimination » declared that the group was « horrifié » by these messages, adding that they had reached “At a time when Jewish students at Oxford are facing an unprecedented rise in harassment, intimidation and fear.”. He added: “He actively contributes to establishing a climate of fear and exclusion against Jewish members of the university. We condemn his discriminatory rhetoric in the strongest possible terms. We demand his resignation.”
“I do not support or tolerate violations of international lawâ€
Question parThe TelegraphArwa Elrayess declared that she “appreciated this opportunity to clarify the context, the facts on which he relied, as well as what he was saying and what he was not saying.”. Elle a précisé : “It was a debate about proportionality. I do not support or condone violations of international law, such as deliberate attacks on civilians, hostage-taking, the use of starvation as a weapon, or any other serious violations, whether committed by Hamas or Israel.”
Before adding: “In my messages, I made it clear that my comments constituted neither support for violence nor an attempt to assert that it is ‘justified’; it was a theoretical description of the structural context of the conflict, which explained why violence is tragically predictable after decades of occupation, blockade, rape, torture, displacement, ethnic cleansing and genocide.”
This is not the first time that the president of the Oxford Union has found herself at the heart of controversy. She notably invited far-left political commentators Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker to speak to the debate society. Both men have since had their entry permits issued. in the United Kingdom revoked by the Home Office, on the grounds that their interventions would not be “giving public interest”.
