Essex acts on antisemitism after fraught vote on Jewish society

A Jewish society will be formed at the University of Essex without a rerun of a botched ballot in which 200 people voted against it.

On 22 February, the University of Essex Students’ Union confirmed it would establish a Jewish society immediately without rerunning a vote that had seen a significant minority throw their weight against it.

The announcement came as the university confirmed a staff member has been suspended while an investigation is carried out into allegations linked to the vote on the Jewish society. At the same time, vice-chancellor Anthony Forster also announced a series of measures aimed at tackling antisemitism on campus.