Student suspended over Tinder profile picture with sleeping Jewish man
- Published
A Palestinian flag was digitally edited into the sleeping man's mouth
A student has been suspended following complaints about his dating app profile picture, posing next to a sleeping orthodox Jewish man on the London underground.
The image shows a Palestinian flag digitally edited into the Jewish man's mouth.
It was used in the Nottingham Trent University student's Tinder profile.
The picture has since spread across Twitter, with many people critical of it.
The university, where the student was due to start his first year, has referred the matter to a disciplinary panel.
Jess, a Jewish student at the University of Cambridge, first shared the photo on Twitter last Friday, after it was sent to her by a friend.
"When she sent it to me she was quite confused, and we both were quite alarmed by it.
"Not necessarily because we thought the boy who took the photo was in any way an anti-Semite, but because we thought it was wrong to instantly conflate this man's religious identity with a political conflict.
"When I wrote that tweet I didn't have any intention of trying to punish the boy. It's more important to me that he learns from his mistake, and other people can learn from it too," she told the BBC.
Actress Tracey Ann Oberman, who has appeared in EastEnders and New Tricks, expressed her disgust in a tweet which has been liked and re-tweeted hundreds of times.
Eastenders and New Tricks actress Tracey Ann Oberman called on the student to apologise and "donate to a Jewish charity of his choice"
Ms Oberman, who has written for the Jewish Chronicle, said the photograph displayed 1930s "levels of Nazism" and called on the university to take action.
Other social media users described the image as "disgraceful" and "horrendous."
However, another Twitter user commented: "This is a joke pic, that's all. I'm Jewish and not offended."
Disciplinary panel
Nottingham Trent University - which replied to the tweets by saying they take "hate crime, including anti-Semitism, very seriously" - confirmed the student was suspended earlier this week.
Its spokesperson told the BBC: "We launched an immediate investigation the moment we were made aware of a screen grab circulating on social media, in which NTU was mentioned in an individual's personal profile.
"We acted very quickly to identify an individual who had not yet started his first year at the university.
"An investigatory officer interviewed this individual and they were immediately suspended.
"As part of this investigation we have been told that a Palestinian flag had been superimposed onto the image.
"A disciplinary panel will now decide on appropriate action. We are proud of our diverse and inclusive community, and do not tolerate any form of hate crime, including anti-Semitism."
Daniel Kosky, Campaigns Organiser at the Union of Jewish Students, welcomed the university's response.
'We are pleased to hear about the swift action taken by Nottingham Trent University in launching an investigation and suspending a student.
"It will reassure Jewish students that Nottingham Trent University takes anti-Semitism seriously, and will act upon it if it appears on their campus."
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