UCL publishes investigation into UCLU Friends of Israel event

UCL has today published the outcome of its investigation into events that took place around the UCLU Friends of Israel Society meeting on 27th October 2016. The full report can be read here. UCL President & Provost Professor Michael Arthur established the investigation, led by Professor Geraint Rees, Dean of the UCL Faculty of Life Sciences, after a number of allegations of violence and intimidation ahead of and during the meeting were received by UCL. The investigation has concluded that this was a serious incident that represented a failure of the UCL Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech to adequately protect freedom of expression on campus. While the event took place, the report states that it did so "in a highly disruptive and intimidatory atmosphere and in an abbreviated form. 'This failure of the UCL Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech is very rare - several hundred events are routinely organised and occur every term, including high risk and high profile events - but affords an important opportunity to identify and remedy the key factors that led to this failure.' The investigation has concluded that the majority of protestors and attendees were non-violent and that the majority of UCL students acted in accordance with UCL's code of conduct for students. However, it did also find evidence that a smaller group of protestors intentionally disrupted the rights of others to exercise freedom of speech within the law, and that their behaviour caused stress and anxiety to students and staff at UCL.