The director of a prestigious Manchester gallery has reportedly been forced out after a row over an exhibition which featured a statement describing Israel as engaging in ethnic cleansing, apartheid and environmental destruction.

The University of Manchester, which runs the Whitworth art gallery, asked Alistair Hudson to leave his post, according to The Times. 

Last year’s “Cloud Studies” exhibition, created by the research group Forensic Architecture, focused on the environmental effects of toxic clouds around the world. 

It included a section on Israel’s military action in Gaza and the West Bank and a statement introducing visitors to the exhibition accused Israel of “violence, apartheid and colonisation” as well as “ethnic cleansing”. The statement was displayed at the exhibition’s entrance under the title “Forensic Architecture stands with Palestine”.

But the message was withdrawn after criticism from North West Friends of Israel, the Manchester Jewish Representative Council and UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).

It was later reinstated after pressure from Forensic Architecture, with additional statements by the Manchester Jewish community and a pro-Palestinian group.

UKLFI contacted the university in September to express concerns over “the accuracy and legalities of the work” and suggest disciplinary action against Mr Hudson.

Eyal Weizman, Forensic Architecture’s British-Israeli founder, defended Mr Hudson, telling the Guardian this week he “turned the Whitworth into an art space where the important questions of our time could be asked.

“His sacking is the last in a series of bullying actions by the University of Manchester, which initially aimed at silencing our solidarity with Palestinians, then at stifling open debate and taming political art more generally. This move will shrink the space for art and artists.”

A spokesperson for the University of Manchester said: “We absolutely uphold academic freedom. However, staffing matters are strictly internal to the University and we do not comment on questions of this nature, including in relation to our current Whitworth Art Gallery director.” Mr Hudson was approached for comment.