On Friday 3 October, Vice-Chancellor Professor Sasha Roseneil wrote to all students and staff. The text of this is available below:
Dear Sussex Students and Staff,
As the news of the murderous terrorist attack on Heaton Park Synagogue yesterday reverberates across the country, I know that Jewish members of our University community, in particular, will be deeply upset and fearful. This assault, taking place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, will also have shocked and upset everyone who cares about their fellow human beings. It comes at a time of rising antisemitism, and against the backdrop of deepening political polarisation, racism, and anti-migrant sentiment. Now, more than ever, I ask that we all at the University of Sussex reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that our University is a place that embraces diversity of background, belief, and identity, and that actively seeks to create a warm and welcoming environment for everyone, resisting antisemitism and all forms of racism and prejudice.
With my best wishes,
Professor Sasha Roseneil
Vice-Chancellor
Further information
Staff and students at the University have access to a range of wellbeing and support services:
- Find safety and security information, including reporting antisocial behaviour on campus
- Find out about Student wellbeing services, including therapeutic services
- Visit the Staff Wellbeing Hub for staff support information
- Use Report + Support if you or someone else has experienced behaviours such as antisemitism, bullying, harassment, a hate incident, sexual violence, domestic abuse or discrimination.
Our Chaplaincy service, based in the Meeting House, has Chaplains representing a wide variety of religious and nonreligious perspectives, including two Jewish Chaplains.
Hate incidents can be reported in a number of ways:
- The Community Safety Trust (CST) takes reports of antisemitism
- Tell Mama takes reports of Islamophobia or anti-Muslim attacks
- Racist and other hate incidents can also be reported to The Monitoring Group.
Brighton & Hove is home to a number of Jewish groups, including the Brighton & Hove Jewish Community and the Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue.
The Union of Jewish Students (UJS) provides a collective voice for Jewish societies on campuses across the UK.
On Monday 6 October, Vice-Chancellor Professor Sasha Roseneil wrote to all students and staff. The text of this is available below:
Dear Sussex Students and Staff,
Having written to you all last Friday about the murderous assault on a synagogue in Manchester, I am very sad to be now writing again, following an arson attack on a mosque in Peacehaven - just a few miles from Falmer - on Saturday night. Fortunately, it seems that no one was injured, but they might easily have been. Meanwhile, I am also aware that there have been reports of racist incidents in the surrounding areas in recent weeks.
I would like to express my heartfelt concern for all Muslim members of our University, and for everyone in our local community, in Peacehaven and beyond, who is impacted by this violent act of hatred. I reiterate that the University is committed to ensuring that we create a working and learning environment on our campus that is free from unlawful anti-Muslim prejudice and that we will not tolerate Islamophobia or expressions of hostility towards, or discrimination against, anyone on the grounds of race, religion or belief. We seek always to be inclusive and supportive of the diverse community of people, with a range of backgrounds, beliefs and identities, who come together at Sussex to learn, live, and work together.
In these times of deepening political and cultural polarisation, in which the dangerous enactment of racist beliefs and religious intolerance is intensifying, I encourage everyone to reach out to fellow members of the University whose backgrounds, beliefs or identities are different from our own to check how they are and offer support, to grow our understanding of their lives and experiences, and to put into action the Sussex values of collaboration, courage, inclusion, integrity, kindness, and openness.
With my best wishes,
Professor Sasha Roseneil
Vice-Chancellor
Further information
Staff and students at the University have access to a range of wellbeing and support services:
- Find safety and security information, including reporting antisocial behaviour on campus
- Find out about Student wellbeing services, including therapeutic services
- Visit the Staff Wellbeing Hub for staff support information
- Use Report + Support if you or someone else has experienced behaviours such as a hate incident, bullying, harassment, sexual violence, domestic abuse or discrimination.
Our Chaplaincy service, based in the Meeting House, has Chaplains representing a wide variety of religious and nonreligious perspectives, including a Muslim Chaplain.
Hate incidents can be reported in a number of ways:
- Tell Mama takes reports of Islamophobia or anti-Muslim attacks
- The Community Safety Trust (CST) takes reports of antisemitism
- Racist and other hate incidents can also be reported to The Monitoring Group.
There are a variety of Muslim groups in Brighton & Hove, including the Brighton & Hove Muslim Forum and the Brighton & Hove Muslim Women’s Group.