West Midlands Police in Birmingham, England, told JNS that it had “no record of a sexual assault happening” at a University of Birmingham event after an anti-Israel student activist group said that it reported such allegations to authorities.
Organizers of the Birmingham Liberated Zone told JNS that “the police were contacted, and the university were/are involved.”
The apparent discrepancy comes after the group issued a public apology on March 10, acknowledging that several participants in its anti-Israel protest encampments were subjected to sexual abuse and that organizers mishandled the situation.
In a statement posted on Instagram, organizers with the Birmingham Liberated Zone said that they were aware that “four former participants in BLZ spaces were subjected to serious and damaging abuse by Ahmad, codename Egypt, who is a student at University of Birmingham and was a member of BLZ at the time.”
“Organizational failures meant that the survivor, Pink, was excluded from spaces where the person who harmed her was later able to return,” the group wrote.
The allegations first surfaced in June 2024, according to a statement published by Birmingham Queers for Palestine. The group stated that after the allegations, the offender, “Ahmad,” threatened the victim, “Pink,” and “insulted her in front of the rest of the camp and threatened to release revenge pornography of her.”
The group said that organizers banned both Ahmad and Pink from the encampment and later allowed just Ahmad to return. “When questioned on this decision, camp ‘leaders’ claimed that Ahmad was a useful contributor to the camp and a personal friend, and that the accusations were false,” the group said. It alleged that Ahmad continued his abuse against other women.
A university spokesman told JNS that the school has “robust, clear policies and training to take a proactive approach in relation to harassment.”
“It treats all reports of alleged harmful behaviours and harassment, including sexual harassment and abuse, from its students very seriously and, in line with its regulatory obligations, will always investigate any allegations and take action, as appropriate,” the spokesman said.
“We are unable to comment on individual matters,” the school told JNS when asked about the specific incident.
