Student faces hate crime charge over 'tea towel' remark about Palestine activist’s headscarf
A university student could face criminal charges over comments he made about a Palestinian activist’s headscarf during an exchange at a Freshers’ Fair event.
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Brodie Mitchell, 20, a second-year politics and international relations student at Royal Holloway, University of London, was temporarily suspended after referring to a fellow student’s keffiyeh as “a tea towel”.
Mitchell, who describes himself as a “non-Jewish Zionist”, says the remark came during an argument with Huda El-Jamal, president of the university’s Friends of Palestine Society.
He claims Ms El-Jamal, who is of Palestinian origin, allegedly called him a “wannabe Jew” and referred to the fact he was not wearing a kippah.
Mitchell says he responded by saying: “You’re wearing a tea towel over your head.”
He was suspended the following day while the university carried out a nine-week investigation into what it described as alleged conduct that could amount to hate speech. He has since returned to campus.
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The matter was also reported to Surrey Police as a hate crime. It is reported that officers have now submitted a file to the Crown Prosecution Service, which will decide whether any charges should be brought.
Mitchell is also bringing legal action against the university, claiming it breached its contractual obligations and that his suspension caused him to lose seven weeks of teaching and delayed his degree.
A three-day High Court hearing is due in June.
At a pre-trial hearing in December, Mitchell said: “I began filming the interaction as I realised I didn’t have any witnesses and said ‘You’re wearing a tea towel over your head’.”
He said the comment was “a fitting off-the-cuff retort” to what he described as a “pre-emptive racist and antisemitic attack” on him, but has also said in an email to the university that the remark was “poorly expressed and inappropriate”.
Royal Holloway said it had acted properly.
In written submissions, Gemma White KC said the university had responded “reasonably, proportionately and fairly”.
Dr Nick Barratt, the university’s chief student officer, said: “This case is about addressing conduct that was found to be harassment.”
He added that the university would defend its actions in court.
A Surrey Police spokesperson said: “We received a report of a hate crime, and an investigation is under way.”