The MP for Sevenoaks said yesterday in the House of Commons that “the Ayatollah is being celebrated as a martyr at UCL”, and “gender critical feminists are being kicked off [campuses]”.
The shadow secretary claimed this was signs of a “two tier system” and urged the government to crack down on “an enemy of Britain being celebrated.”
She later posted a clip of this on Twitter, which has amassed over 220,000 views.
The claim that Ayatollah Khamanei had been martyred, following his death in Operation Epic Fury, is likely a reference to UCL AhlulBayt Islamic Society’s statement saying “we express our sincere condolences on the martyrdom of our beloved Sayed”, and a separate statement explaining that “in religious terms, this role [the Ayatollah] is comparable to that of the Pope within Catholicism.”
The role of the Ayatollah in Twelver Shia Islam is a title reserved for very few high-ranking clergy.
Ayatollah Khamanei was, however, a deeply controversial figure, known to persecute dissidents as well as curtailing rights for women and LGBT people, claiming gender equality to be a ‘Zionist plot’, and executing gay people.
The AhlulBayt Islamic Society further argued that, given the Ayatollah’s religious significance for Shia Muslims, students had a right to mourn him without this being taken as endorsement for all of his actions.
Trott’s claim that “in our universities, gender critical feminists are being kicked off campus” — although she did not specify that this was happening in UCL — is notable given UCL Libertarian Society’s invitation of ‘gender critical’ activist Connie Shaw, and the widespread backlash this has received.
In response to a protest, “Transphobia Off Our Campus”, being organised by the UCL Socialist Feminists, the President of UCL Libertarian Society posted the aforementioned tweet by the MP and said in an Instagram Story that “we will not let [Connie Shaw] be kicked off of campus.”
It should be noted that the Libertarian Society event happened as planned, and The Cheese Grater understands that no one was removed from campus.
The explicit mention of UCL by a senior Tory comes amid significant discourse on campus about free speech in light of the UCL Libertarian Society’s event.
A Students’ Union UCL spokesperson said: “We do not endorse the views of our societies, including the views expressed by the UCL Ahlul-Bayt Islamic Society. We appreciate that many people will have found these comments made by the society to be deeply upsetting.
“We met with the society leadership on Tuesday 3 March to express our concerns about the way their social media posts have been received and their planned events this week have been postponed.”
“We recognise that the recent events and escalation of conflict in the Middle East and the wider region are causing significant distress for many members of our community. With students and staff from a wide range of backgrounds, our priority is to ensure that everyone feels safe, respected, and supported.
“A range of dedicated, expert support, both practical and emotional, is available for both students and staff affected by conflict. This can be accessed via the UCL War Conflict and Disaster Service.”