Oxford Union: Stop the Censorship. Restore susan abulhawa’s Full Speech
In November 2024, Palestinian author susan abulhawa spoke at the Oxford Union about Israel’s genocide in Palestine. Her speech was watched online by over 250,000 people. The Oxford Union later took it down and reuploaded an edited version, cutting nearly two minutes without her consent and in breach of their own agreement. susan had accepted the invitation on the written condition that her speech would not be edited, the Oxford Union breached that agreement and undermined the rights of a Palestinian speaker to have her words preserved and shared in full.
For 17 months, susan has demanded that the Oxford Union restore the full speech, honour its contractual and ethical obligations, and honour the intellectual labour and property of an invited Palestinian speaker.
In times of genocide and war crimes, the historical record matters. Palestinian voices matter. They should not be treated as negotiable, editable, or disposable.
The Oxford Union has cited “potential legal concerns” to justify the edit but has failed to comply with susan’s data subject access request to see the information behind those alleged concerns.
With ELSC’s support, susan has escalated the case to the Information Commissioner’s Office and filed a discrimination claim against the Oxford Union, challenging its censorship of her speech. Further claims relating to breach of contract, data protection violations, and copyright infringement are also being considered.
The Oxford Union could restore the full speech tomorrow. It is choosing not to.
More than 30 public figures and organisations have already signed the open letter calling on the Oxford Union to restore susan abulhawa’s full, uncensored speech.
