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Campus Radicalization: How Extremist Narratives Target New Students on UK Campuses

University of Exeter. Photo: Wikipedia.

Anti-Israel sentiment on UK university campuses is steadily growing, leading to a troubling trend of student radicalization. Pro-Palestinian student societies across the UK generally claim to promote social justice, but they often use emotionally charged messaging and historical distortions to manipulate impressionable new students into accepting radical narratives.

Having met many students who have never encountered a Jew or a Zionist, I’ve observed their unfamiliarity with our people and the situation in Israel.

These uninformed students are especially susceptible to narratives crafted by anti-Israel groups. Students eager to fit in are vulnerable to manipulation through misinformation and peer pressure. Early protests and statements by groups that hate Israel set the tone for the year. By appealing to students’ desires to belong, some pro-Palestinian groups create an environment where aligning with extreme anti-Israel and anti-Western views is marketed as normal.

One of the most concerning developments within student groups on campus is the glorification of violence; tragedies like October 7th are celebrated, while deaths of terrorists such as the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar are mourned. These groups frame violent acts as noble, giving students the perception that such acts are part of a greater cause. The student body lacks the historical context needed to critically evaluate these messages, making the anti-Israel campaign particularly effective.

An example is the below Instagram post by Oxford Action for Palestine on October 7, 2024, proclaiming “One Year of Genocide. One Year of Resistance.”

This statement glorifies violence by framing Hamas atrocities as legitimate resistance, casting Israel as the aggressor while romanticizing terrorism against Israelis as justified, and portraying Israeli responses as unprovoked aggression. This simplifies the conflict into a false oppressor-oppressed narrative, making it easier for students to adopt a biased perspective. Through this approach, the conflict can be reduced to Jews in Israel being the bad guys and Palestinians always being the righteous victims.

Pro-Palestinian university societies systematically distort symbols, history, and information to shape student perceptions, aligning with their political agenda while excluding challenging viewpoints.

One such example is the “Wear a Keffiyeh Week” — which Palestine groups across the country promoted. Below is an example of the Kingston University Palestine Society posting about their participation on Instagram.

The keffiyeh, originally worn by Arab Bedouins as a protective covering and later popularized by terrorists such as Yasser Arafat as a symbol of Palestinian terror, carries specific historical and political connotations. The anti-Israel campaign encourages students to wear the keffiyeh as a symbol of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, overlooking its association with Palestinian nationalism and past violence.

By presenting the keffiyeh as trendy, these groups entice students to adopt it without understanding its implications. This effectively makes radical symbols part of campus culture and normalizes their use without changing the symbolism for Zionists and Jews who associate it with terrorism. While it’s hard to measure how effective the initiative truly was, many college societies across the country participated, adding to its visibility. This tactic taps into students’ natural desire to belong, fostering a collective mindset that pressures them into feeling they must support the movement to truly fit in.

Furthermore, false and exaggerated statistics are employed to provoke emotional responses, as seen in an Instagram post by Oxford Action for Palestine above, claiming that “the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s assault on Gaza will be 335,500” by the end of the year.

Such claims lack evidence and are misleading. This article shows the problems and manipulation of casualty numbers in Gaza, and how inaccurate the above claims are. This misrepresentation is clearly intended to provoke outrage and elicit an emotional reaction, steering uniformed students towards accepting an anti-Israel stance.

One now-removed Instagram post by KCL Students for Justice for Palestine further proves how distortion is used to manipulate. The post features a map that claims the entirety of Israel, including the Golan Heights, as supposedly “Palestine.” On the Golan Heights issue alone, this misleading portrayal ignores Syria’s claim to the Golan Heights as its own territory under supposed Israeli occupation. By labeling this area as Palestinian, these groups obscure the reality of the territorial dispute and imply that the Palestinian goal is more about claiming land and eliminating Israel than addressing alleged occupation. This contradictory messaging confuses students and oversimplifies complex issues, making it easier for them to adopt a one-sided perspective.

As some pro-Palestinian societies on UK campuses increasingly spread radical narratives, they risk creating an environment that glorifies violence and deepens divisions. These groups exploit new students’ desire to belong, manipulating context and distorting history. This approach not only influences impressionable students but also normalizes extreme perspectives in the name of social justice. Universities must prioritize promoting balanced discourse, countering misinformation, and fostering critical engagement to protect academic integrity and create a truly inclusive campus environment.

Samuel Weisz is a Jewish student at the University of Exeter, and a CAMERA on Campus Fellow.

The post Campus Radicalization: How Extremist Narratives Target New Students on UK Campuses first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Israel Says Missile Launched by Yemen’s Houthis ‘Most Likely’ Intercepted

Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

The Israeli army said on Saturday that a missile fired from Yemen towards Israeli territory had been “most likely successfully intercepted,” while Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed responsibility for the launch.

Israel has threatened Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement – which has been attacking Israel in what it says is solidarity with Gaza – with a naval and air blockade if its attacks on Israel persist.

The Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group was responsible for Saturday’s attack, adding that it fired a missile towards the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.

Since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis, who control most of Yemen, have been firing at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade.

Most of the dozens of missiles and drones they have launched have been intercepted or fallen short. Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes.

The post Israel Says Missile Launched by Yemen’s Houthis ‘Most Likely’ Intercepted first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Iran Holds Funeral for Commanders and Scientists Killed in War with Israel

People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2025. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Large crowds of mourners dressed in black lined streets in Iran’s capital Tehran as the country held a funeral on Saturday for top military commanders, nuclear scientists and some of the civilians killed during this month’s aerial war with Israel.

At least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among those mourned at the funeral, according to state media, including armed forces chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Revolutionary Guards commander General Hossein Salami, and Guards Aerospace Force chief General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Their coffins were driven into Tehran’s Azadi Square adorned with their photos and national flags, as crowds waved flags and some reached out to touch the caskets and throw rose petals onto them. State-run Press TV showed an image of ballistic missiles on display.

Mass prayers were later held in the square.

State TV said the funeral, dubbed the “procession of the Martyrs of Power,” was held for a total of 60 people killed in the war, including four women and four children.

In attendance were President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures including Ali Shamkhani, who was seriously wounded during the conflict and is an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as Khamenei’s son Mojtaba.

“Today, Iranians, through heroic resistance against two regimes armed with nuclear weapons, protected their honor and dignity, and look to the future prouder, more dignified, and more resolute than ever,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who also attended the funeral, said in a Telegram post.

There was no immediate statement from Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since the conflict began. In past funerals, he led prayers over the coffins of senior commanders ahead of public ceremonies broadcast on state television.

Israel launched the air war on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders as well as civilians in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq.

Iran retaliated with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites, infrastructure and cities. The United States entered the war on June 22 with strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

TRUMP THREAT

Israel, the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons, said it aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.

Iran denies having a nuclear weapons program. The U.N. nuclear watchdog has said it has “no credible indication” of an active, coordinated weapons program in Iran.

Bagheri, Salami and Hajizadeh were killed on June 13, the first day of the war. Bagheri was being buried at the Behesht Zahra cemetery outside Tehran mid-afternoon on Saturday. Salami and Hajizadeh were due to be buried on Sunday.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would consider bombing Iran again, while Khamenei, who has appeared in two pre-recorded video messages since the start of the war, has said Iran would respond to any future US attack by striking US military bases in the Middle East.

A senior Israeli military official said on Friday that Israel had delivered a “major blow” to Iran’s nuclear project. On Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that Israel and the US “failed to achieve their stated objectives” in the war.

According to Iranian health ministry figures, 610 people were killed on the Iranian side in the war before a ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday. More than 4,700 were injured.

Activist news agency HRANA put the number of killed at 974, including 387 civilians.

Israel’s health ministry said 28 were killed in Israel and 3,238 injured.

The post Iran Holds Funeral for Commanders and Scientists Killed in War with Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Pro-Palestinian Rapper Leads ‘Death to the IDF’ Chant at English Music festival

Revellers dance as Avril Lavigne performs on the Other Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 30, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

i24 NewsChants of “death to the IDF” were heard during the English Glastonbury music festival on Saturday ahead of the appearance of the pro-Palestinian Irish rappers Kneecap.

One half of punk duo based Bob Vylan (who both use aliases to protect their privacy) shouted out during a section of their show “Death to the IDF” – the Israeli military. Videos posted on X (formerly Twitter) show the crowd responding to and repeating the cheer.

This comes after officials had petitioned the music festival to drop the band. The rap duo also expressed support for the following act, Kneecap, who the BCC refused to show live after one of its members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – better known by stage name Mo Chara – was charged with a terror offense.

The post Pro-Palestinian Rapper Leads ‘Death to the IDF’ Chant at English Music festival first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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