Grad student files lawsuit against Leeds University after being failed for not criticizing Israel

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Prior to writing her essay, Leeds University student Danielle Greyman allegedly spoke with her advisers and they agreed she could write a piece focusing on the internal issues of Hamas without discussing Israel's impact on the conflict. 

However, the graders seemingly did not have the same opinion. When grading the paper, under a sentence suggesting that Hamas’ use of human shields is “a betrayal of the Palestinian people by their government,” they wrote the following comment: 

“This ignores the fact that the Israeli state commits acts of violence.” Subsequently, the graders failed the student. 

One of those graders is Claudia Radiven, a PhD candidate who signed a petition in defence of a professor who was fired from Bristol University after making racist remarks filled with hate regarding Israel, stating that Israel was “a violent, racist, foreign regime engaged in ethnic cleansing.” The professor had also stated that Jewish students in his class were “political pawns.”

After receiving the shocking grade, the student appealed to the university. It then took more than a year for the institution to review the essay and the grading. 

The excessive length of the review process affected Greyman’s Master’s degree. In fact, she was obligated to delay the start of her Master’s studies. 

Greyman, due to the situation, decided to file a lawsuit against the university, for alleged “discrimination, negligence, and victimization,” as reported by The Jerusalem Post. 

Following the filing of the lawsuit, the university took a second look at the essay. With a fresh set of eyes, it was regarded as satisfactory, effectively admitting the irregularity of the grading. 

The essay was also reviewed by Dr. David Hirsh, a professor from the University of London, who told The Media Line that “this essay is absolutely not a fail.”