Oxford Mosley donation needs explanation, say Jewish students

Lady Margaret Hall said money from the Alexander Mosley Charitable Trust helped students from "diverse and low-income backgrounds" to attend Oxford.

The University of Oxford has been asked to speak to its Jewish students after it accepted a donation from the family of Oswald Mosley, who led the British Union of Fascists in the 1930s.

The Union of Jewish Students (UJS) said the Oxford Jewish Society had heard nothing, and added that the news had been "distressing" for students.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said students were owed an explanation.

The university said it had "rigorous guidelines" for accepting funds.

The university was given £6m by the Alexander Mosley Charitable Trust, which was set up by the late former motorsport boss Max Mosley and named after his late son Alexander, a St Peter's College graduate.

A Daily Telegraph report said Mr Mosley created the trust "to house the fortune he inherited" from his father, Oswald Mosley.

Two of the university's colleges - St Peter's and Lady Margaret Hall - also accepted cash from the Mosley family trust totalling more than £6.3m, the report added.

Amanda Sefton asked the university to "reach out" to its Jewish students

Amanda Sefton, UJS head of campaigns, told the BBC: "A good first step would be for the university to reach out to the Jewish Society to start a conversation.

"The news has been distressing for Jewish students, and the absence of any communication and consultation is inconsiderate and inappropriate."

She said "initial steps must be taken to build the relationship between the Oxford Jewish students and the university" - and that the university and relevant colleges should reflect on "the impact these donations will have on its Jewish students and the wider student body".

Ms Sefton said UJS was working with those Jewish societies "to ensure that Jewish student voices are listened to, and that this doesn't have a long-standing impact on their overall student experience".

Her comments come after Mr Zahawi said the university must "consult and explain the decision-making process that took place for them to have landed on this donation".

He added that universities should consider the "ethical implications" of donations, and the views of students and the wider community, and said he expected them "to be quite capable of dealing with these issues in an appropriate and sensitive way."

Mr Zahawi spoke while visiting the Auschwitz death camp, before this week's 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht, when violent attacks were carried out on Jewish communities throughout Germany and Austria.

"Let me be very clear. Anti-Semitism is not simply a historic debate, it is a present danger and a scourge that exists, sadly, on our campuses," he said.

He urged universities to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism.

The University of Oxford said: "The university is aware of its position within, and responsibility to, the wider community in which we operate, and has robust and rigorous guidelines regarding the acceptance of donations and research funding."

It added that its donors "have no say in setting the research and teaching programmes of the posts or infrastructure they fund, nor do they have any access to the results of research, other than publicly available material".

Lady Margaret Hall said the donation "enabled a cohort of students from very diverse and low-income backgrounds to attend Oxford".

It said the trust knew that these students came from "diverse and under-represented backgrounds and was pleased to support the scheme and its aims".

The Alexander Mosley Charitable Trust said "none of the funds received or distributed by the trust were the proceeds of fascism".

"The Trust abhors racism in all its forms including the thuggery and violence of Oswald Mosley's fascist movement.

"We sincerely hope that the funds we donate can continue to make a positive difference."

The BBC has contacted St Peter's College for comment.

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