Tory peer’s daughter in tears after pro-Palestine activists hijack university open day

Abigail Wolfson said she still intends to apply to study at Bristol - Ian McIlgorm

The daughter of the shadow attorney general was left “hysterically crying” when pro-Palestine activists hijacked a university open day for prospective students.

Abigail Wolfson, daughter of Lord Wolfson of Tredegar, was part of a group of prospective students visiting the University of Bristol in June.

However the sixth-form student and her mother, who are both Jewish, described how two presentations were interrupted by protesters wearing face masks and wearing keffiyeh scarves.

Miss Wolfson told the Mail on Sunday: “The reception we received on campus can only be described as hostile. I’ve never felt so isolated. For the first time in my life... I wished I wasn’t Jewish.”

Demonstrations in support of Palestine have become common across the UK - Anadolu/Getty

The first protest began in a lecture hall around four minutes into a presentation on studying history at the university, she said.

‘Zionist war machine’

The controversial chant is viewed by many as a call to remove the State of Israel from the map.

Demonstrators then accused the Russell Group university of “funding the Zionist war machine”.

Miss Wolfson said her mother, Louise, began shouting “Shame!” from the audience.

“We felt intimidated, isolated and unsafe. We were both visibly upset, [but] no one said anything to us,” she told the newspaper.

Minutes later, a second protest took place during another presentation on studying politics and international affairs.

Once again, Louise shouted “shame” and implored security staff to intervene.

However, Ms Wolfson said staff did not seem to know why they were upset.

Abigail with her mother Louise who shouted ‘Shame’ at the protesters - Ian McIlgorm

She told the newspaper: “When they [the protesters] finished, the entire auditorium [was] clapping. I got up and left. I was just absolutely hysterically crying. The staff at the event asked: ‘What’s wrong?’ I felt like saying, ‘How can you not know?’”

It is not the first time young Jewish people have spoken of feeling intimidated and threatened by pro-Palestine protesters on campus grounds.

And in March, the University was granted a High Court injunction that banned protests from taking place until the end of this month.

UK universities plagued by anti-Semitism

Earlier this year, a survey found nearly nine in ten Jewish students had faced anti-Semitism at UK universities since the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023.

The University Jewish Chaplaincy poll found 81 per cent of the 400 students surveyed said their Jewish life had changed, with reports of verbal abuse and physical attacks.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar, shadow attorney general - Gov.UK

However, Miss Wolfson said she still intends to apply to study at Bristol, saying that she didn’t want to allow people to dictate her future because she is Jewish.

Her senior Tory father, writing on X, asked: “Is this what my daughter, and other Jewish students, can expect at Bristol University, daily, for three years?

“With the lecturers just standing by, and no security intervention (despite requests).”

The University of Bristol told the Mail on Sunday that it had apologised to the Wolfsons and “discussed their concerns”, adding that it aims to make all students “feel safe and fully supported”.

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