A Jewish veteran of the street battles fought against Oswald Mosley’s fascist mobs in the 1950s and 60s has called on Oxford University to refuse the “tainted” millions it has received from the Mosley family.

Jules Konopinski told the JC that late motor racing boss Max Mosley, who created the trust that is funding the university, was “much more spiteful and vicious” than his father, the notorious fascist leader Sir Oswald.

Mr Konopinski, 92, fought running battles against Sir Oswald’s blackshirts in streets including London’s Ridley Road, the title of a recent BBC drama about those who stood up to Britain’s fascist movement in the 1960s.

The call by Mr Konopinski was echoed by the Education Secretary, who warned during a visit to Auschwitz this week that Oxford and other universities which have taken money from the Mosley family “must look at themselves” and “justify their decision in the court of public opinion”.

Nadim Zahawi warned: “I hope that they are looking very carefully about naming anything after Mosley.”

The Secretary of State for Education spoke out after widespread outrage over the decision of Imperial College London, a number of Oxford colleges and other universities to take what has been described as “tainted” money.

St Peter’s College and Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, have together taken more than £12m of the Mosley trust’s money, part of which will go towards the Alexander Mosley Professor of Biophysics Fund. Imperial College has accepted £2.4m of the Mosley cash while University College London took £500,000.

Mr Zahawi said: “They have to look to be able to look at themselves and feel that they have followed the correct procedures. It is a tough decision that sometimes people have to make but one that they have to be able to justify in the court of public opinion.”

He added: “I think it’s important that when they do accept any donation of any kind they are sensitive to issues of where the money came from, what the background is to it.”

The donations come from The Alexander Mosley Charitable Trust (AMCT), named after Max Mosley’s son who died of a suspected drugs overdose in 2009 at the age of 39.

Critics say that the money comes at least in part from Mosley’s father, Oswald Mosley, who was the leader of the British Union of Fascists, although Max Mosley, who died aged 81 in April, is believed to have added to his fortune through his leading role in motor racing.

The Education Secretary said: “Every educational institution in our country [should make sure that Jewish students] always feel listened to, and feel that they are able to enjoy everything about education and life in our schools and universities without the fear of antisemitism.”