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In solidarity with Professor David Miller

Professor Hugh Brady

President and Vice-Chancellor

University of Bristol

Dear Professor Brady,

We are students and former students of Professor David Miller, or students or former students of the University of Bristol and other higher education institutions. We stand in opposition to the censorship and smear campaign being waged against Professor Miller. We believe that the accusations made against him threaten academic freedom. They appear to be aimed at silencing criticism of the State of Israel’s historic and ongoing violation of Palestinian human rights.

We oppose all forms of racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, and believe we must all work together to remove racism from campus. Jewish, Muslim and Palestinian students have the right to live in safety and with dignity. But Zionist ideology has tried to erase Palestine and to silence Palestinian voices. If the University of Bristol is serious about opposing racism and grappling with Britain’s colonial past, it is vital to recognise the injustices being carried out against Palestine and its people. The fight against antisemitism must not diminish the fight against the oppression of other peoples. 

Professor Miller has spent his entire career researching state and corporate lobby groups and propaganda strategies. His work on Israel and Zionism is only one part of this wider work. The lecture about which the first complaints were made was on the extremely important topic of Islamophobia. We believe that Professor Miller is being targeted and harassed because he discussed the role parts of the Zionist movement play in encouraging Islamophobia. Professor Miller’s work has always been strongly evidence based, and we believe that his recent comments on Israel, the Zionist movement and Islamophobia should be judged on this basis and not in relation to selective outrage and misquotation. 

The hostilities directed at Professor Miller and the false allegations of antisemitism made against critics of Zionism and the State of Israel are leaving many students too intimidated to voice concerns about these issues. It is vital for the University of Bristol to promote evidence-based research and teaching without the threat of harassment. No country, government or ideology should be exempt from criticism, not least on a university campus. We ask the University of Bristol to continue its commitment to free speech, academic freedom and a culture of openness where discussions, even on contentious topics, may take place.

We insist that anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel are not antisemitism. The IHRA working definition of antisemitism, adopted by the University of Bristol in 2019, is being used to misrepresent Professor Miller by conflating Judaism with Zionism. This conflation is wrong on two counts; not all Jews are Zionists, and not all Zionists are Jews. We ask the University of Bristol to retract the IHRA definition and replace it with a more precise definition that prevents the misrepresentation of discussions about Zionism, Israel and Palestine. 

We feel compelled to come together in solidarity with Professor Miller. The University of Bristol must defend the principle of academic freedom within the law and reject complaints from lobby groups and sectional interests.

cc:

Professor Simon Tormey, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Professor Sarah Purdy, Pro VC (Student Experience) 

Professor Tansy Jessop, Pro VC (Education) 

Professor Judith Squires, Provost 

Mr Jack Boyer, Chair, Board of Trustees 

Dr Moira Hamlin, Vice-Chair, Board of Trustees

Ms Jane Bridgwater, Director of Legal Services

Yours truly,

Students and alumni from the University of Bristol

Dr David Morgan, University of Bristol

Dr Polly Hill, University of Bristol

Abdulaziz Babak Alsadoon, University of Bristol

Abdulrahman Tawfiq Abdulaal, University of Bristol

Adnan Qureshi, University of Bristol

Ahd Othman, University of Bristol

Alia Mokhtar, University of Bristol

Alice Orme, University of Bristol

Amy Lidde, University of Bristol

Botan Mustafa, University of Bristol

Callum Johnson, University of Bristol

Catherine Bjarnason, University of Bristol

Faizan Ussenbai, University of Bristol

Faten Al Mashrafi, University of Bristol

H Awan, University of Bristol

Hanan Abd, University of Bristol 

Hashem Sarairah, University of Bristol

Haydar Ali, University of Bristol

Hector Steenbergen, University of Bristol

Hiba Abdo, University of Bristol 

Hugo Parra Muñoz, University of Bristol 

Iman Anjarwalla, University of Bristol 

Isobel McLeod, University of Bristol

Jáfia Naftali Câmara, University of Bristol

Jago Corry, University of Bristol

Jai Kalyan, University of Bristol

James Barrett, University of Bristol

James Eyre, University of Bristol

James McArdle, University of Bristol

Jawwad Khan, University of Bristol

Jibran Yousafzai, University of Bristol

Khadijah Ginwalla, University of Bristol

Khaled Abuobaid, University of Bristol

Kieran Strong, University of Bristol

Magda Baghazal, University of Bristol

Martha Makin, University of Bristol

Mathew Park, University of Bristol

Matt McDonald, University of Bristol

Mia Fenwick, University of Bristol

Mohamed Nazim Mohamed Nisar, University of Bristol

Mueerah Naeem, University of Bristol

Munazzah Saleem, University of Bristol

Nabil Sajjad, University of Bristol

Nazia Hossain, University of Bristol

Norah Alhosan, University of Bristol

Numra Maryam, University of Bristol

Nurin Jazlina Rozi, University of Bristol

Omar Kawis, University of Bristol

Pratik Gurung, University of Bristol

Rachel Barrett, University of Bristol

Rama Hattab, University of Bristol

Roma Mills, University of Bristol

Safia Cissoko, University of Bristol

Salma Elmasry, University of Bristol

Sam Stewart, University of Bristol

Samad Fazeli, University of Bristol

Sara Ibrahim, University of Bristol

Seif Awadalla, University of Bristol

Sena Dogan, University of Bristol

Seyed Khashayar Taghavirad, University of Bristol

Sofea Khan, University of Bristol

Sophie Dunsby, University of Bristol

Sophie Goodings, University of Bristol

Sukhi Girn, University of Bristol

Suzanne Williams, University of Bristol

Tanzil Choudhury, University of Bristol

Tara Bhasin, University of Bristol

Thanos Tsapas, University of Bristol

Vasileios Meletiadis, University of Bristol

William Nafack, University of Bristol

Yara Hage, University of Bristol

Yara Nabulsi, University of Bristol

Students and alumni from other UK universities

Ada Dajani, University of Leeds

Ada Lebiedzinska, University of Strathclyde

Adam Abdalla, University of Leeds

Ahmad Alagouz, UWE Bristol

Ajay Domun, Birkbeck, University of London

Alex Polkey, University of Oxford

Alexander Nye, City, University of London

Aliyah Hossain, Queen Mary, University of London

Andrew Carmichael, Lancashire College of Agriculture

Angelos Agathangelou, Open University

Anhad S. Oberai, Brunel University

Anna Clemente, University of Bath

Art Grimley, City, University of London

Azad Hussain, University of Leeds

Bill Payne, University of Hull

Callisto St. Henry, Birkbeck, University of London

Carlos Grijalva Eternod, University College London

Charles Elliot Bayles, UWE Bristol

Cian Ronayne, National College of Ireland

Colin Valley, University of Huddersfield

Darragh Keogh, Dublin Business School

Dee Grimes Hayward, University of Sussex

Dominic Jones, University of Reading

Grace Cowan, London Metropolitan University

Hassan Bilal, University of Leeds

Hesham Haikal, University of Leeds

Ian Stewart, University of Edinburgh

Ilaria Tercelli, London School of Economics

Isabelle Burgess, University of Bath

James Godfrey, Birkbeck, University of London

Jeevanthie Senanayake, University of Bath

John Piprani, University of Manchester

Jon Harding, Aberystwyth University

Jon Wilson, Middlesex University

Jonathan Edwards, University of Oxford

Joseph McColl, University of Birmingham 

Joseph Usher, King’s College London

Kashif Nasar, University of Liverpool

Kate Ashdowne, UWE Bristol

Kendra Cornelis, University of Oxford

Konrad Rekas, Robert Gordon University

Laurie Donaldson, University of Glasgow

Lucy Nichols, University of Manchester

Maria Bonilla, Farnborough College of Technology

Michael Brown, Staffordshire University and Nottingham Trent University

Mick Haley, University of Nottingham

Mollie Fish, Nottingham Trent University

Morgan Owen Paul Cranshaw, University of Bath

Nazdar Qasem, UWE Bristol

Nazia Iqbal, University of Strathclyde

Neveen Hroub, UWE Bristol

Nicolai Vigneswaren, University of Leeds

Nigel Warren, Open University

Nihaya Jaber, University of Glasgow

Nilo Murphy, London South Bank University

Nina Gavrieli, Graduate School of Education

Nour Kefi, University of Hertfordshire

Okasha Ahmed, University of Manchester

Omaima Azoui, UWE Bristol

Omar Moaz, UWE Bristol

Pam Perryman, Universities of Essex and Warwick

Patrick Chadwick, University of North London

Patrick Gritton, Glasgow Caledonian University

Patrick Higgins, University of Liverpool

Patrick McDonald, University of Dundee

Pucci Dellanno, University of Sussex

Rania Ward, University of Bath

Sally McArthur, Newcastle University

Salma Najjar, UWE Bristol

Salwa Rahman, SOAS, University of London

Sangeeta Lyons, Aston University

Sequoyah De Souza, University of York

Steve Walshe, Birmingham City University

Sumayah Jilani, UWE Bristol

Tommy Kane, University of Strathclyde

Trevor Ryan, University of Warwick

Valle Elena, University of Surrey

Yahia Khalaf, London South Bank University

Zainab Wahid, UWE Bristol

Students and alumni from non-UK universities

Dana Mohamed Hasn Ali Taweel, An-Najah National University (Palestine)

David Heap, University of Western Ontario (Canada)

George Dontas, National Technical University of Athens (Greece)

Karen Alqasem, Barry University (USA)

Kit Klarenberg, Freie Universität Berlin (Germany)

Kyle Bailey, York University, Toronto (Canada)

M Hammoud, Canadian University of Dubai (UAE)

Margaret Ronayne, National University of Ireland Galway (Ireland)

Omaila Taweel, An-Najah National University (Palestine)

Serge Katembera Rhukuzage, Federal University of Paraíba (Brazil)

William B. Hutchinson, Ph.D., McGill University (Canada)

Zeenat Suleman, University of South Africa (South Africa)