A lecturer at King's College London distributed Hamas propaganda materials during a university seminar and encouraged students to view the terror organization as a "liberation" movement, The Jewish Chronicle has revealed.
Dr Rana Baker, who teaches Middle Eastern history, presented students with a Hamas document titled "Our Narrative: Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" during a class earlier this year. The document, published by the Hamas Media Office in January, characterized the Oct. 7 massacre as a "necessary step" and claimed civilian casualties occurred "accidentally" during confrontations with Israeli forces.
A recording obtained by The Jewish Chronicle captured Baker telling students: "We have this tract from Hamas that we looked at. It says that it's an Islamic national liberation resistance movement... it says they're fighting against Zionists, not Jews, and they say that antisemitism is a European problem."
During a March seminar on Israel's War of Independence and Palestinian identity formation, Baker distributed excerpts from the Hamas text alongside materials about the 1948 war, concluding with a section from "A Reminder to the World, Who is Hamas?"
A student who recorded the seminar and reported it to university authorities told The Jewish Chronicle the classes were "hostile" and examples of "indoctrination." The student, requesting anonymity, said others felt pressured to present anti-Israel viewpoints to achieve high marks.
During the recorded session, Baker made comments about "collaboration between Zionists and Nazis" and discussed what she called "the deployment of the Holocaust as a justification to build an exclusive Jewish state."
A Jewish student who attended the seminar described the atmosphere as dominated by "anti-Israelism," telling The Jewish Chronicle: "It felt as though the entire handout was setting you up to sympathise with Hamas."
Former universities minister Robert Halfon told The Jewish Chronicle: "These allegations are incredibly alarming and distressing, and sadly all too prevalent across our universities."
Jonathan Turner from UK Lawyers for Israel said: "This is a serious but not unusual case of a university lecturer justifying actions of Hamas and demonising Israelis. We understand that freedom of speech at universities must be protected, but why is it always about how great Hamas is and how terrible the Israelis are?"
King's College London stated it had concluded its investigation but did not provide details. The university rejected claims that students were pressured to express anti-Israel views in exams, stating: "Like all history modules, students are free to make whatever claims they can argue well, which can be supported with evidence; and a diversity of viewpoint is encouraged."
The incident occurs amid broader concerns about campus climate for Jewish students. Tali Smus, a first-year English student at King's College London, reported being ostracized after defending Israel in a WhatsApp group, while another Jewish student said their professor, Dr Tania de St Croix, encouraged students to walk out of her lecture to protest the anniversary of Oct. 7.
