The demonstration came days after anti-Israel protesters “invaded” a lecture at City St George’s University, where Economics Professor Michael Ben-Gad was branded a “terrorist” over his service in the IDF.
UCL president and provost Dr Michael Spence said he was “utterly appalled by reports of antisemitic comments and chants during the protest”.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that protestors obstructed access to a scheduled UCL event, causing distress to those attending, and seeking to suppress the views and opinions of the invited speaker and audience.
"As part of our ongoing liaison with the Police, local officers attended. I sincerely apologise that this happened at UCL and to those affected,” Dr Spence told the JC.
The talk on Friday was organised by the UCL Friends of Israel Society and Camera (the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting & Analysis) on Campus UK, and featured Yemenite-Israeli influencer Adiel Cohen, who spoke about his family’s flight from antisemitic violence in Yemen.
Activists had discovered the initial venue and announced an “emergency protest” against Cohen, whom they called a “shameless IDF genocide perpetrator”. The organisers subsequently moved the event to a new location – but protesters learned of the change and arrived at the second venue to demonstrate.
Activists planned an 'emergency' demo outside the venue (Photo: Instagram)[Missing Credit]
UCL student Evelyn, who helped to organise the talk, told Camera that the university’s Students’ Union had informed her last Wednesday that “anti-Israel student societies had received our event’s description and venue address”.
“The Student Union employee said they would help us arrange a new event venue, and I manually vetted every single person who requested tickets,” she said.
“Protestors still managed to find our new location on Friday afternoon and a group arrived on the site and began shouting inside the lobby area and on the nearby street.
“We were told by UCL security and the Metropolitan Police that they could not remove the protestors. This meant that over 10 attendees who had tickets for the talk were either unable to enter the venue due to the rowdy demonstration, or felt unsafe trying to attend.”
“Jewish students and other attendees felt very threatened,” she added.
Evelyn recalled that, during the talk, as protesters continued chanting outside “I had to enter the room and calm people down and inform them we had a security plan and would be able to leave the building via emergency exit if needed”.
“Halfway through the event, the university said they could help bring attendees in via a back entrance, but we obviously didn’t want to risk the mob swarming that exit as well and trapping us all in the building.”
Yemenite-Israeli influencer Adiel Cohen was interviewed by Tali Smus (Photo: The British Zioness)[Missing Credit]
UCL President and Provost Dr Michael Spence told the JC: “Freedom of speech is not only a legal right, but the cornerstone of academic and student life. We are firmly committed to upholding it and are investigating the full circumstances of this incident, with a view to taking disciplinary action, as appropriate, against anyone involved.
“Moreover, I am utterly appalled by reports of antisemitic comments and chants during the protest. This has no place at UCL and will form part of our investigation. UCL unequivocally condemns all forms of antisemitism and has made clear to our community that such behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
“Universities must remain places where ideas can be debated openly and respectfully. We are determined to ensure that UCL continues to be a safe and inclusive environment for all our students and where free expression and the exchange of diverse viewpoints are welcome.
“We encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses racism or other forms of unacceptable conduct at UCL to report it through the appropriate channels so we can take swift action against it.”
Kurt Schwartz, CEO of Camera, whose UK Campus branch co-hosted Friday’s event, said: "It is horrifying that some students were blocked or scared away from attending the event we co-hosted, and that a heavy police presence was required for those who attended and were faced with protesters that called for Israel’s destruction and demanded ‘Zionism off Campus’.
“Being a Zionist simply means you support the self-determination of the Jewish people in their historic homeland. Would these protestors demand that students of any other cultural background be hounded ‘off campus’ for believing their country ought to exist? It is highly alarming that protests that incite violence towards Jews and Israel are becoming so commonplace on and off university campuses.
“It is even more heartbreaking that an event in which historic anti-Jewish persecution was discussed was met with the very same hatred in 2025.”
“We are immensely proud of our British colleagues and UCL students for arranging this event amidst a dangerous climate of hostility and hatred towards Jews and Israel since the October 7 massacre more than two years ago,” Schwartz said.
