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Academic who prompted Edinburgh University to review antisemitism policy tried to justify October 7

On the morning of the attack, Dr Nicola Perugini wrote on X: ‘Context: Palestine is brutally colonised’

August 1, 2025 16:50
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Edinburgh University activists took over the Old College quad in 2024, demanding that the institution divest from Israeli-linked companies (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
6 min read

One of the academics behind a radical new Edinburgh University-commissioned report, which recommends scrapping the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, sought to justify Hamas’ killing spree on the morning of October 7, the JC can reveal.

In a message posted just after 7am – as news broke about the terrorist rampage in southern Israel – Dr Nicola Perugini wrote on X: “Context: Palestine is brutally colonised.”

Hours later, he posted: “Colonialism is indiscriminate by definition.” He also posted: “Dehumanising people under siege for 16 years does not work”.

Following the publication of the report, Edinburgh University is considering abandoning the internationally accepted IHRA definition, a move that Jewish groups have urged against.