Rector at one of Britain’s top universities faces calls to resign after she accuses Israel of genocide

• Hundreds demand apology from Stella Maris after she sent controversial email to students at St Andrews University 

The rector of Scotland’s oldest ­university was last night at the centre of a political storm after she sent an email to students accusing Israel of ‘genocide’.

Hundreds of people have called on Stella Maris either to apologise or resign from her role at St Andrews University.

In the email sent on Tuesday, Ms Maris said a vigil had been held at the university ‘following weeks of genocidal attacks by the Israeli government against Gaza’.

She added: ‘We must continue to recognise and condemn acts that are internationally regarded as humanitarian and war crimes.

‘These include practices such as apartheid, siege, illegal occupation and collective punishment, which have been observed in the treatment of Palestinians. It is also ­crucial to acknowledge and denounce the actions by Hamas that qualify as war crimes, notably the taking of hostages and deliberately targeting civilians, which I have and continue to do.’

The email included a link to the Electronic Intifada – a pro-­Palestinian website which ran an article on Thursday entitled ‘The evidence Israel killed its own ­citizens on October 7’.

Ms Maris sent email to students condemning ‘weeks of genocidal attacks by the Israeli government’

An armed Palestinian militant walking around the Supernova music festival

Following the email circulated by Ms Maris, more than 1,400 students, alumni and their families signed an open letter calling on her either to retract her remarks or resign. The letter accuses her of spreading a ‘certain narrative of antisemitism’ and said her comments would likely ‘embolden hatred towards Jewish students’.

It reads: ‘Sadly, your words were not unifying, but divisive; not ­clarifying, but misleading; not hopeful, but damaging – and ­unfortunately will only bring ­division and hatred, whilst reinforcing a certain narrative that drives violent antisemitism across the world.

‘We are concerned that your ­letter does not demonstrate equal care for Palestinian and Israeli lives.

‘What is truly unacceptable is that you do not care to mention, let alone demonstrate regard for, the two St Andrews students who were recently attacked because of their religion.’

Two Jewish students at the ­university have reported having eggs thrown at them in the wake of the Israel-Gaza conflict breaking out.

The open letter claimed that by sending the email from her university address, Ms Maris’s comments were an ‘abuse of her position’ and ‘reflected on the institution’.

Ms Maris took over as rector on October 13. A rector is voted for by the student community to ­represent them at the university’s governing body and to oversee pastoral ­support. Having an elected rector is a legal requirement in Scotland under the 1858 Universities Act.

Previous rectors at St Andrews University include comedian John Cleese and The Jungle Book author Rudyard Kipling.

Ms Maris is an English and philosophy graduate of St Andrews and has since filled a series of roles there as a student representative. She joined the university as an undergraduate in 2017 and for the past three years has been assistant to the previous rector, Dr Leyla Hussein.

Ms Maris told the Daily Telegraph that her comments were supported by human rights ­organisations and that the Electronic Intifada ‘provide evidence for their claims in their articles’.

She said she would not resign and added that her message was not antisemitic. She concluded: ‘I ­maintain my stance and will not apologise for speaking up about these issues.

‘The conflation of my statement with antisemitism is unfounded and I will continue to advocate for peace and human rights for all.’

The St Andrews University ­leadership team led by principal Professor Dame Sally Mapstone said they were ‘dismayed’ by the rector’s comments. They said Ms Maris was free to express her ­personal views but felt she had ‘put her right to freedom of expression ahead of her duty to represent all students, and to be concerned for their welfare’.

Their statement continued: ‘We know that while some may have welcomed the message, others have been deeply offended and concerned by it.

‘While every one of us shares a desire for peace and an end to hostilities in Israel and Gaza, we regret that her message, the language it used, and some of the sources it cited have caused alarm, division and harm in our community, and more widely. We do not believe the rector intended to cause harm to students with her message.

‘While she is accountable only to the student body whose interests she was elected to serve, we have, as individuals and as a group of senior leaders, asked her to reflect seriously on the evidence of the upset and fear she has caused, and to take such action as is necessary to restore confidence in her leadership amongst all students, and the wider community.’

Source: Read Full Article