A suspended Oxford University student has been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after leading a chant calling for Gaza to “put the Zios in the ground” during a Palestine solidarity demonstration in central London.
Samuel Williams, a 20-year-old philosophy, politics and economics student at Balliol College, was detained at an address in Oxfordshire on Wednesday morning following a Metropolitan Police investigation into footage that emerged from the protest.
The student from Tunbridge Wells in Kent was filmed taking a microphone at the Palestine Coalition march in Westminster on Saturday, October 11, where he introduced what he described as a chant that had been “workshopping in Oxford”.
Speaking to the crowd, Mr Williams said he wanted to keep his remarks brief before unveiling the controversial slogan. A steadfast and noble resistance in Palestine and in Gaza to look to, to be inspired by and, I don’t want to yap for too long,” he told demonstrators.
“But a chant that we’ve been workshopping in Oxford that maybe you guys want to join in,” the student added. “It goes ‘Gaza, Gaza make us proud, put the Zios in the ground’.”
The footage, which circulated rapidly on social media following the demonstration, prompted immediate condemnation and calls for action against the student. Oxford University moved swiftly to suspend Mr Williams from membership of the institution, with the outcome dependent on the police investigation.
Metropolitan Police confirmed on Wednesday that officers had arrested the man following their inquiry into chants made at the protest. “A 20-year-old man was arrested at an address in Oxfordshire on Wednesday, 15 October, on suspicion of inciting racial hatred,” Scotland Yard said in a statement. “He remains in police custody.”
The demonstration took place just days after the first phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was accepted by both sides, bringing a fragile pause to more than two years of devastating conflict in Gaza.
However, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s National Demonstration for Palestine was overshadowed by the inflammatory chant, which many critics interpreted as a violent threat against Jewish people using derogatory slang terminology.
Oxford University issued a strongly worded statement condemning the language used at the protest, though officials noted that the precise basis for the arrest had not yet been disclosed to the institution.
“The University of Oxford condemns, in the strongest possible terms, any language urging violence against groups of people or expressing any form of racial hatred,” a spokesman said on Tuesday.
The university emphasised that whilst it values freedom of speech, such protections do not extend to statements inciting violence or expressing racial hatred. “The university’s support for freedom of speech does not extend to any statements, including such language,” the spokesman added.
Officials confirmed that the institution has the power to take immediate and proportionate action, including suspending students from membership whenever serious concerns are raised, even before legal proceedings conclude.
“When such language is reported, we will always want to speak to the student concerned and consider the matter under our disciplinary procedures in line with university and college policies,” the statement continued.
The university adopted an uncompromising stance on the matter, declaring that there is no place for antisemitism, harassment, or discrimination within its community. “Oxford is unequivocal, there is no place for antisemitism, harassment, or discrimination within our community,” the spokesman said.
“We remain firmly committed to protecting the safety and dignity of all our students and staff.”
Balliol College, one of Oxford’s oldest and most prestigious institutions, has not issued a separate statement regarding the incident. The college, which has produced numerous prime ministers and Nobel laureates, prides itself on academic excellence and fostering civil discourse.
The arrest marks a significant moment in the ongoing debate about the boundaries of free speech on university campuses, particularly regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict. Universities across Britain have grappled with balancing students’ rights to protest and express political views against the need to protect Jewish students from antisemitic rhetoric.
The use of the term “Zios”, widely regarded as a derogatory slur for Zionists or Jewish people more broadly, combined with the call to “put them in the ground”, raised immediate alarm amongst Jewish groups and civil liberties organisations.
Critics argued that the chant crossed the line from legitimate political protest into incitement to violence, whilst others suggested the wording constituted a clear threat against Jewish people regardless of their views on Israeli government policy.
The incident comes at a particularly sensitive time, with British universities facing increased scrutiny over their handling of antisemitism and the safety of Jewish students on campus. Several institutions have faced criticism for failing to adequately address hostile environments faced by Jewish students amid ongoing Middle East tensions.
Mr Williams’s arrest whilst in police custody means he will be questioned by detectives before a decision is made on whether to charge him with inciting racial hatred, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison under the Public Order Act 1986.
The case is likely to test the boundaries of free speech protections in the context of political protests, with lawyers expected to scrutinise whether the chant constituted a genuine incitement to violence or represented protected political expression, however distasteful.
If charged and convicted, Mr Williams would face not only potential imprisonment but almost certain expulsion from Oxford University and the end of his academic career at one of the world’s leading institutions.
The investigation continues as police examine all footage and evidence from the demonstration. Further arrests have not been ruled out as officers review other chants and speeches made during the march.
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