An Oxford student is seen chanting antisemitic slogans at a pro-Palestinian march in central London, an incident captured on viral video that has drawn widespread condemnation. Photo: Screenshot

An Oxford University student has been arrested and suspended after a viral video showed him chanting “put the Zios in the ground” at an anti-Israel demonstration — an incident that has sparked public outrage and heightened concern over rising antisemitism on university campuses.

As part of a police investigation into chants at a Palestine Coalition march in central London on Saturday, local authorities arrested a 20-year-old student on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.

The student, identified as Samuel Williams, a philosophy, politics, and economics major at Balliol College, has been suspended by the university pending further investigation.

Local police confirmed that Williams remains in custody after being arrested on Wednesday for allegedly leading antisemitic, anti-Israeli chants captured in viral social media videos.

The day after a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel went into effect in Gaza, Williams was filmed at an anti-Israel protest leading a crowd in antisemitic slogans, telling demonstrators the chant had been “workshopped” in Oxford.

“A steadfast and noble resistance in Palestine and in Gaza to look to, to be inspired by and — I don’t want to yap for too long — but a chant that we’ve been workshopping in Oxford that maybe you guys want to join in,” he says in the video.

“It goes ‘Gaza, Gaza makes us proud, put the Zios in the ground,'” he continued.

pic.twitter.com/rKwKtHlurp
Listen to what the “best and brightest” are chanting at Oxford University.
​An Oxford student proudly shares a chant they’ve been “workshopping”:
​”Gaza, Gaza, make us proud, put the Zios in the ground.”

​This isn’t education; it’s indoctrination into…

— Yossi BenYakar (@YossiBenYakar) October 12, 2025

“Zio” is an antisemitic slur brought into prominence by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. While the term, derived from “Zionist,” has generally been deployed by white supremacists and other far-right extremists, it has more recently been used as well by anti-Israel activists on the progressive far left to refer to Jews in a derogatory manner.

Williams can also be seen in the video leading a crowd carrying signs that read, “Oxford University, pick a side: justice or genocide,” in an apparent effort to erroneously accuse Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and to blame the school for being complicit.

The university confirmed the student’s arrest and said it was taking appropriate action in response to the matter.

“The University of Oxford condemns, in the strongest possible terms, any language urging violence against groups of people or expressing any form of racial hatred,” a university spokesperson said in a statement.

“While the university cannot comment on individual student cases, it has the power to take immediate and proportionate action including, as appropriate, suspending a student from membership of the university, whenever serious concerns are raised,” the statement read.

“Oxford University is unequivocal: there is no place for hatred, antisemitism, or discrimination within our community, and we will always act to protect the safety and dignity of our students,” it continued.

This latest incident came after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week warned that the government may consider stricter protest laws, potentially targeting chants at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, amid an increasingly hostile environment toward the local Jewish community in Britain.

Starmer strongly condemned the incident, accusing the university of acting too slowly to tackle antisemitism and safeguard Jewish students.

“Universities should not be places where Jewish students fear even attending, in some cases avoiding university altogether and the education they are entitled to, or, if they do attend, feeling concerned about their identity and how they will be treated,” the British leader said in a statement.

British Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson also condemned the incident, saying there had been an “unacceptable increase in antisemitism” at universities and noting that many Jewish students do not feel safe on campus.

She also announced that the government is funding training to help staff and students “tackle this poison of antisemitism” and called on universities to strengthen protections for Jewish students.