UK NGO Calls for Students to Join Lawsuit Against Bristol Professor Accused of Antisemitism
University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. Photo: StockVault
A British nonprofit issued a public call on Thursday for students to join its lawsuit against a UK professor accused of harassing Jewish students and his employer, the University of Bristol.
Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it was preparing a lawsuit against sociology professor David Miller, who drew outrage on campus after calling for “the end of Zionism” and accusing Jewish students of conspiring with the State of Israel to censor speech.
The University of Bristol confirmed in March that it is investigating Miller’s conduct, but has not provided updates of the inquiry’s status, citing “the integrity and rigor of what is a confidential process.”
In a press release on Thursday, CAA said that its “case against the University concerns alleged unlawful harassment on the basis of Jewish ethnicity and Judaism, amounting to breaches of the Equality Act 2010, as well as breaches of contract.”
“The legal claim contends that Prof. Miller’s statements sought to create a hostile environment for Jewish students [and] that the University is liable for Prof. Miller’s conduct, and is further liable in its own right, for unlawful conduct in breach of the Equality Act, and for its breach of its contract with students,” the NGO said.
The Equality Act 2010 “protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society,” according to a UK government website.
Continued CAA, “We are asking additional students to step forward and add their names to the legal action to hold University of Bristol to account for Prof. Miller’s conduct, and its own,” adding, “If you are or were a student at the University of Bristol in the academic year 2020-21, please email your name and telephone number to campus@antisemitism.org.”
CAA also said it is aware of complaints of Miller dating back two years, “and it is still unclear … what the outcome was.”
Last week, the Union of Jewish students criticized University of Bristol for its alleged “silence” about Miller and demanded that Chancellor Hugh Brady “discuss [his] case.”
“It has now been 165 days since Professor Miller publicly attacked Jewish students, and still nothing,” the group said.