UCL academic banned after repeating Antisemitic trope in lecture

A former UCL lecturer has been banned from the campus after giving a talk in which she repeated a blood libel about Jewish people.

Dr Samar Maqusi, an architect and urban specialist, repeated a debunked 19th century antisemitic libel known as the Damascus Affair.

It alleges that Jews killed a Christian monk called Thomas in the Syrian capital in order to use his blood to make bread.

Dr Maqusi explained to members of the university’s Justice for Palestine society: ‘What happened there is a Christian priest called Thomas. He disappears in Damascus during what is called the feast of Tabernacles.’

She continues: ‘But the story is that during this feast they make these special pancakes or bread. Part of the holy ceremony is that drops of blood from someone whose not Jewish, which the term is gentile, has to be mixed in that bread.’

Dr Maqusi added that Father Thomas was found murdered and a ‘group of Jews who lived in Syria admitted to murdering him to get drops of blood for the holy bread’.

The lecturer urged attendees to ‘investigate and draw your own narrative’.

The story is a version of the ‘blood libel’ which alleges that Jews use blood in matzos, unleavened bread traditionally eaten during the holiday of Passover.

Dr Maqusi erroneously referred to another Jewish holiday, Succot or the feast of Tabernacles, in her retelling.

The former full time lecturer at the London university has since been barred from returning to the campus and the student group banned from hosting further events.

According to her now-deleted UCL profile, Dr Maqusi was conducting a PhD on the ‘spatial politics of the Palestine refugee camp and its impact on the potential to self-­‐emancipation’ at the Bartlett School of Architecture.

She previously worked for the UNWRA while living in Amman, Jordan.

Dr Michael Spence, the president and provost of UCL, said: ‘I am utterly appalled by these heinous antisemitic comments. Antisemitism has absolutely no place in our university, and I want to express my unequivocal apology to all Jewish students, staff, alumni, and the wider community that these words were uttered at UCL.

‘The individual responsible is a former fixed-term researcher at UCL, but not a current member of UCL staff.

‘We have reported this incident to the police and have banned her from campus.

‘We have launched a full investigation into how this happened and have banned the student group which hosted it from holding any further events on campus pending the outcome of this.

‘Regrettably, like many UK universities, we continue to confront incidents of antisemitism and are committing to banishing this from our campus.

‘We have initiated disciplinary proceedings against a number of students in relation to antisemitism and reported incidents to the police where appropriate.

‘Freedom of speech and academic freedom are fundamental to university life, but they can never be misused as a shield for hatred.

‘UCL remains steadfast in our commitment to ensure our campus is a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for everyone.’

In a statement, the University Jewish Chaplaincy, which offers support to Jewish students, said it was ‘appalled and horrified’ by the deeply antisemitic comments made during the lecture.

‘The repetition of the medieval blood libel – one of the most dangerous and hateful antisemitic myths in history – is utterly unacceptable anywhere, but especially within an academic institution that should stand for truth, critical inquiry, and respect,’ they said. ‘Such rhetoric has no place in a university lecture hall, and it poses real harm to Jewish students and staff.

‘We call on UCL to take immediate and decisive action to investigate this incident, ensure full accountability, and reaffirm its commitment to the safety and dignity of its Jewish community.’

Metro has approached Dr Maqusi for comment.

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