Swastikas sent to Belfast Jewish student, says peer

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A student at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) was sent swastikas for being Jewish, the government's independent adviser on antisemitism has said.

Lord Mann told BBC News NI some students have hidden their identity and fear for their safety.

Queen's said it was not aware of the incident and urged the student involved to contact the university.

The peer visited Belfast on Wednesday to meet members of the Jewish community and political parties.

He said the conflict between Israel and Hamas had led to religious attacks in the UK.

"Why are they picking on vulnerable, literally isolated Jewish students to vent this hatred?" he asked.

"Where's the hatred coming from and what are the systems for dealing with this?"

Lord Mann said young Jewish people were "keeping their heads down" and are "masking their identity" in terms of wearing religious symbols.

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Lord Mann said the incident was "not normal behaviour, it is extremist behaviour"

"They're fearful that that will get a negativity, it will get them abuse," he told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster.

Referring to the Queen's student who was sent swastikas, a symbol associated with Nazism, Lord Mann said: "Why should a young Jewish person, a student here in Belfast, as a response to wearing a Jewish religious symbol around their neck, have more than one person responding with swastikas?"

When asked by BBC News NI for more details on how the student was sent the swastikas, Lord Mann said he did not want "to end up identifying the person and the exact situation".

"This is not normal behaviour, it is extremist behaviour and it is dangerous," he added.

'Supporting students'

Queen's University told BBC News NI it was not aware of the incident "and would urge the student to report this matter to us so it can be properly investigated".

It added that it was "keen to engage with Lord Mann on this issue".

"Queen's recognises the events that have led to the harrowing loss of life in the Middle East and the distressing and complex nature of the current conflict," a spokesperson said.

"The university is mindful of our students and colleagues with family and other connections in the region and remains committed to supporting them at this difficult time."

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Queen's University said the student should contact officials so the matter can be investigated

The university also said it had been in contact with the PSNI "due to the seriousness of the allegations", however, both Queen's and the PSNI said no report had been made to police by a student.

"The University's concern is this story is being presented as factual without any clear verification other than an anecdotal claim," a spokesperson continued on Thursday.

"Unchallenged suggestions that there is an ongoing problem at Queen's are completely without foundation.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Lord Mann also told BBC News NI he had asked to meet Sinn Féin during his visit but was not given a reason for why this had not happened.

The party later said this had been an "administrative oversight" on its part.

A spokesperson added the party has contacted Lord Mann's office to "rearrange the meeting at the earliest opportunity possible" and it looked "forward to the opportunity to discuss the issue".

On Wednesday, more than 400 people left Gaza, according to Palestinian officials, including British and US passport holders.

The territory has been bombed by Israel since the 7 October Hamas attacks in Israel which killed 1,400 people. More than 200 people were taken hostage.

The health ministry run by Hamas said more than 8,700 people had been killed in the retaliatory bombings.

"I am here in terms of the security, the safety, and critically the wellbeing of a community that's traumatised and is terrified," Lord Mann said of his visit to Belfast.

"What I'm not comfortable with: Anybody in this time of conflict and war, in the Jewish community or indeed in the Muslim community, being targeted because of what's going on."

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