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Action plan to address antisemitism

Antisemitism is not tolerated at Goldsmiths and we are acting against such behaviour as a form of racism.

We are taking action after an independent inquiry commissioned by Goldsmiths' Council, our governing body, concluded that Jewish students and staff have experienced antisemitism in the course of the studies or work at Goldsmiths.

The inquiry led by Mohinderpal Sethi KC, of Littleton Chambers, also found that the university could have done more when responding to reports of antisemitism and that our processes and protocols must be improved.

The Council and Executive Board of Goldsmiths fully endorse the findings of the inquiry. 

Goldsmiths has appointed Professor Adam Dinham to lead a two-year antisemitism action plan. This will build a culture of belonging for all Jewish students and staff, and for all religions and beliefs at the university, nurturing evidence-based dialogue, positive activism and engagement. 

Independent inquiry into antisemitism at Goldsmiths' College

With antisemitism sadly shown to have risen across the university sector, reflecting a broader increase across society, we felt it was vital to have a clear picture of the situation at Goldsmiths. The resulting report makes for hard reading and gives us a clear mandate for taking decisive action to ensure that there is no antisemitism at our university.

Chair of Goldsmiths Council Tom Sleigh

The Chair of Council added: "Thank you to all who contributed evidence to the inquiry, and participated in any way. I am especially grateful to Mohinderpal Sethi KC and his team for their tireless work on this important matter.” 

Why we commissioned the independent inquiry

In recent years the Community Security Trust, a UK charity that works to protect Jewish people from antisemitism and other threats, has reported a significant increase in antisemitic incidents on UK university campuses.

The purpose of the independent inquiry was to determine whether Jewish students or staff had experienced antisemitism in the course of their studies or work at Goldsmiths, since September 2018.

The inquiry points out similarities between the Jewish student experience at Goldsmiths, at other universities and in the NUS. 

Welcoming recent progress, the inquiry invites Goldsmiths to reset its culture through a restorative, relational approach, understanding antisemitism as a form of racism. The inquiry makes 17 practical recommendations to improve the student and staff experience, including training, complaints and acceptable behaviour.  

The inquiry’s recommendations are explicitly designed to be compatible with protections for legitimate political protest. This aims to reassure concerns about freedom of speech for those seeking to criticise Israel and promote the cause of Palestine on campus.

Our commitment to action

Goldsmiths accepts the independent inquiry’s findings without reservation. We commit to implementing all 17 recommendations through a two-year antisemitism action plan. Within this action plan, a key initiative is to put in place a university framework for positive activism and engagement.

The action plan is being led by Adam Dinham, Professor of Religion and Belief Literacy and University Lead for Culture and Inclusion. He will be supported by the newly-established Religion and Belief Group. This brings together academic and professional expertise in religion and belief literacy, activism, inclusion, and social justice.

Our targets

By the end of Autumn term in academic year 2025/26, Goldsmiths will:

  • Establish an advisory panel, drawn from the Jewish community, students, and staff
  • Re-design Goldsmiths antiracism training to recognise antisemitism as racism
  • Develop better mechanisms to report and track antisemitism
  • Improve support services for students and staff affected by antisemitism
  • Expand chaplaincy, interfaith work, and community spaces

By the end of academic year 2026/27, Goldsmiths will make progress in five areas:

  • Leadership and governance to prevent antisemitism through better decision-making
  • Scholarship on antisemitism, religion and belief literacy, conflict resolution, and interfaith dialogue
  • Training staff and students to understand and notice antisemitism
  • Policy and procedures for robust prevention and intervention, including regular reports
  • Campus culture to foster a community in which Jewish students and staff can flourish

Goldsmiths will be guided by these principles, based on the inquiry recommendations:

  • Our restorative, relational approach will build a culture of positive activism and engagement at Goldsmiths, through dialogue
  • Protect academic freedom and freedom of speech – evidence-based dialogue will be nurtured as an important tool for free expression, alongside, not instead of, other forms of activism and protest
  • Personal attacks, harassment, and discrimination will not be tolerated. No student or staff should feel unsafe or unwelcome
  • Support for anyone harmed by antisemitism in our community

Read the full antisemitism action plan

Antisemitism has no place at Goldsmiths. As with all forms of racism, antisemitism prevents people from entering, enjoying and contributing fully to our university. The inquiry sets out a disturbing picture and I am sorry that our community and culture fell short of the behaviours we expect.

Professor Frances Corner, Vice-Chancellor of Goldsmiths

Professor Corner added: "The report rightly states that we owe it to former, current and future Jewish students and staff to learn from our mistakes.  

“We share responsibility, as a community, to show Goldsmiths can be a place where Jewish students and staff feel valued, supported, and proud to be part of our university.

"As the inquiry highlights, we are already making progress on key issues. Today, we commit to lasting cultural change with respect to Jewish students and staff, and for all religions and beliefs, drawing on our intellectual heritage and our longstanding belief in social justice."

Read previously-published information about the inquiry

 

 

Antisemitism action plan updates

Goldsmiths has appointed Dr Emma Davies as interim chair of the antisemitism action plan advisory group until the end of September 2025. A Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology, Dr Davies has been appointed given her extensive experience in community engagement and dialogue-building.  

In this first phase, Dr Davies will listen to stakeholders’ hopes, concerns and suggestions for effective implementation of Goldsmiths’ antisemitism action plan which was approved by Goldsmiths’ Council on 25 June 2025.  Stakeholders include Jewish students and staff, Student and Staff unions, the Union of Jewish Students, University Jewish Chaplaincy, the Community Security Trust and the Board of Deputies. A permanent Chair of the action plan advisory group will be appointed in September through an internal invitation of expressions of interest for the role.   

Going forward, an antisemitism action plan project board will oversee the delivery of work which will include senior colleagues from across the university including the institution’s lead for freedom of speech and the Chair of the new religion and belief group to ensure that our work considers and meets all of our responsibilities and duties. The antisemitism action plan project board will be chaired by Professor Adam Dinham, Pro Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean, and will report to Executive Board and Council.

Dr Emma Davies has been appointed to Chair the Antisemitism Action Plan (AAP) Oversight and Advisory Group. The group will have advisory oversight of the AAP to support its successful implementation. It will be made up of stakeholders with experience and expertise in antisemitism work, interfaith dialogue, and chaplaincy, and will include a breadth of Jewish, non-Jewish, religious, and non-religious perspectives.

The group will support a project board which will be taking the AAP foward. The project board will include the university lead for freedom of speech (Annabel Kearnen, DVC), the chair of the Religion and Belief group, which works on inclusion across all religions and beliefs (tbc), the chair of the oversight and advisory group, the University Secretary who leads for governance (Hilary Hunter), University Registrar, who leads for student experience (Jordan Kenny), Director of POD, who leads for staff (Margaret Bird), Director of Estates, who leads for campus safety (Mark Hughes), and a chaplaincy member (tbc). The group will be chaired by Professor Adam Dinham. Each action will involve the participation of people across our community during the two-year course of the project. 

Goldsmiths’ Executive Board has appointed the following external stakeholders to the Antisemitism Oversight and Advisory Group for two years, as we deliver our Antisemitism Action Plan. 

The Oversight and Advisory Group is Chaired by Goldsmiths’ academic Dr Emma Davies, with the group’s remit to provide advice and guidance as the university implements the action plan over academic years 2025/26 and 26/27. The Oversight and Advisory Group will support the project board which has overall responsibility for delivering the action plan.

The Oversight and Advisory Group’s Terms of Reference have also been agreed by the Executive Board.

  • Review progress against the Antisemitism Action Plan and provide advice in support of ensuring commitments are being delivered effectively and sustainably
  • Provide advice on policy, practice, and culture change related to tackling antisemitism within the University
  • Provide advice as to perceived risks, barriers, or gaps in implementation and recommend solutions
  • Advise on alignment with wider equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) priorities.
  • Consider and advise on alignment of the action plan with duties in relation to freedom of speech and equality
  • Advise on good practice and lessons learned from the wider higher education, public and other sectors
  • Provide independent commentary for inclusion in annual progress updates to Council, Academic Board, and external stakeholders