The newly-elected rector of St Andrews University is being called upon to apologise for an email in which she accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Stella Maris, who was elected by students to represent them at the university’s governing body, also claimed that Palestinians had experienced “apartheid, siege, illegal occupation and collective punishment” during the Israeli-Gaza war. The university, which was founded in 1413 and is one of the oldest in the UK, said it was “dismayed” by the rector’s comments. Maris has rejected accusations of antisemitism and argued that her language, including the use of the term “genocide,” was supported by many human rights organisations.
The email, which was sent to students by Maris earlier this month, included a link to a story on a website, which claimed that Israel had killed its own citizens. Hundreds of students are now calling for Maris to retract her remarks or resign. In a letter to the rector, they stated that they were concerned about her failure to demonstrate equal care for both Palestinian and Israeli lives. They also claimed that her inflammatory and unfounded accusations regarding Israel’s actions would further embolden attacks and hatred against Jewish students.
Responding to Maris’s remarks, St Andrews University principal and vice-chancellor, Prof Dame Sally Mapstone, affirmed the institution’s commitment to free speech but emphasised that “there is no place for antisemitism, Islamophobia, or racism of any kind”. She added that while some may have welcomed Maris’s message, others had been deeply offended and concerned by it. The university regretted that her language, sources and message had caused division, harm, and alarm both within its community and beyond.
Maris, a former English and philosophy graduate of the university, became rector on 10 October. Despite the ongoing controversy, she said she would not resign and emphasised that she had experienced a lot of backlash and racist comments as a result of her email. She denied accusations of antisemitism and sought to separate her condemnation of Hamas’s actions from any condemnation of Jewish people themselves
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