Masked anti-Israel agitators stormed a London lecture hall, threatening Israeli professor Michael Ben-Gad with beheading — a shocking escalation of campus antisemitism condemned by over 1,000 academics.
A chilling display of hatred unfolded this week at City St. George’s, University of London, when Israeli-born economist Professor Michael Ben-Gad was violently interrupted mid-lecture by masked anti-Israel activists shouting threats, insults, and extremist slogans.
Viral video footage shows the intruders storming into the classroom, screaming that Ben-Gad had “blood on his hands” and accusing him of being a “war criminal” for allegedly serving in the Israel Defense Forces. As the mob chanted “Free Palestine!” and “From the River to the Sea!” — a slogan widely condemned as a call to eliminate Israel — campus security rushed in to remove the offenders.
In a statement to Sky News, Ben-Gad described the terrifying moment:
“I finished my lecture and it was invaded by protesters who came right up to my face and called me a war criminal and a Nazi. They refused to leave; they were masked. One of them made a threat about having my head chopped off.”
The professor, known for his balanced analyses of Middle Eastern economics and politics, praised university officials for immediately boosting security and offering him paid leave, though he insisted on continuing to teach.
“Under the circumstances, I am carrying on with my duties,” he said. “The students should expect nothing less from me.”
Ben-Gad voiced concern for Jewish students across Britain, warning that they are being systematically targeted by intimidation campaigns masquerading as activism. The attack follows a series of online harassment drives led by a group calling itself “City Action for Palestine,” which has smeared Ben-Gad as a “terrorist.”
In response, more than 1,000 academics across the UK have signed an open letter condemning the harassment and antisemitic incitement, declaring solidarity with Ben-Gad and demanding that universities safeguard free expression for Israeli and Jewish faculty.
City St. George’s University issued a strong statement reaffirming its commitment to academic freedom but warning that it “will not tolerate harassment of staff or students.” Administrators clarified that the attackers were not affiliated with the university or its Students’ Union.
The incident underscores a dangerous escalation of antisemitic radicalism on UK campuses — where pro-Hamas rhetoric increasingly crosses into open threats against Jewish lives. For many observers, the attack on Professor Ben-Gad is not an isolated outburst but a warning sign: hatred of Israel has metastasized into a direct assault on freedom, scholarship, and safety in the heart of Britain’s universities.
