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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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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War

Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.

Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.

“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”

GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’

Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.

“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.

“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.

“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.

After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”

RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL

Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”

Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.

“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”

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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests

A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco

Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.

People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.

“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”

Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.

On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.

Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.

On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.

“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.

Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.

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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan

Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas

Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.

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