Graduate receives payout after being failed for 'not criticising Israel'
Her graduation was delayed but the university denied claims of antisemitism
A Jewish graduate who was 'failed for not criticising Israel' has been awarded a payout.
Sociology student Danielle Greyman sued the University of Leeds, claiming her coursework was wrongly failed because it did not blame Israel for the crimes of Hamas against the Palestinians, with her graduation delayed.
The coursework was upgraded to a pass following an internal appeal and she was awarded a 2:1 degree; however, this appeal process took more than a year came, and confirmation of her degree came too late to enable her to take up a place on a masters' course at Glasgow University.
The university has reached a settlement with Danielle, paying out an undisclosed fee on the condition that it did not recognise any wrongdoing.
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According to The Times, the graduate said: "I hope this encourages other students to take action against institutions that do not uphold their responsibility of ensuring academic freedom and fair marking.
"That said, I am disappointed by the waste of resources that went into dealing with the issue.
"If the University of Leeds had simply apologised at the outset, corrected the marking and offered antisemitism training to staff, I would have felt greatly satisfied.
"This has been a long and emotionally draining process, but it is necessary that large institutions know that they will be held accountable for their wrongdoings."
Danielle chose 'State crime and immorality' as an optional module in the final year of her sociology degree in 2020-21, focussing on the crimes against Palestinians by Hamas.
She claimed she was explicitly advised not to discuss the role of Israel, but the feedback on her essay read: "You state you will not be including information about Israel's role in these events. It is impossible, without admitting an ahistorical approach, to do this and achieve an accurate reflection."
Markers added: "By restricting the parameters of debate a comprehensive, objective analysis has been curtailed."
The university accepted that Danielle was advised not to write a causal account of the Israel-Palestine conflict, but denied she was advised not to discuss Israel at all.
A spokesman for the University of Leeds told UNILAD: "No finding of any wrongdoing on the part of the university has been made by the court. Furthermore, the university does not consider or accept that there has been any wrongdoing.
"An internal review exonerated our staff of any alleged discrimination and the university remains fully supportive of the academic judgment of its academic staff.
"We strenuously deny the accusation of antisemitism. The University of Leeds has a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism, and any form of unlawful discrimination or hate crime, and on which we follow government guidance.
"The listing of this claim in the small claims court was surprising and unexpected.
"On the commercial direction of our insurers, an offer without any admission of liability was made by the university which was accepted by the claimant. This offer was made expressly on the basis that the university does not accept any liability nor accept that the claimant has suffered any loss."
Jake Massey