The student who chanted to ‘put the Zios in the ground’ is a University of Oxford student studying Politics Philosophy and Economics [PPE] at Balliol College Oxford, the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal.
Samuel Williams, whose family home is in a middle class area in Tunbridge Wells, led the offensive chants while attending the PSC National Demonstration for Palestine in London on Saturday October 11th.
Yesterday, the Metropolitan Police announced they were ‘investigating [the] chants’ made at the demonstration, after footage of the horrifying incident went viral on social media.
Mr Williams, who attends the world-class academic institution, was one of a number of university students to have attended the pro-Palestine event which took place this weekend on Victoria Embankment.
Addressing scores of fellow pro-Palestine activists, the hardcore protester who reads the same subject at university and attends the same college as former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson did, praised the ‘noble resistance in Palestine and in Gaza’.
Continuing he said: ‘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.
‘It goes: Gaza, Gaza make us proud, put the Zios in the ground.’
‘Zio’ – a term formed by Grand Wizard of the KKK David Duke – is a slur made by shortening the word ‘Zionist’ and is often directed towards Jewish people.
Some have interpreted the chant to mean that Mr Williams is calling for the deaths of Jews.
Now the Daily Mail can reveal that the man behind the vile chant is a veteran pro-Palestine student activist.
Before winning a coveted place at Oxford, Mr Williams attended the Bennett Memorial Diocesan school in Tunbridge Wells.
Pictures from Samuel Williams’s Instagram account show him regularly sporting a red and white keffiyeh scarf.
A keffiyeh is a type of Arabic accessory which has recently become associated with the pro-Palestine movement.
And since joining the university he has dedicated his life not to his studies but to student activism and Palestine.
Several pictures taken from his Instagram account show Mr Williams’s participating in the highly controversial Oxford University student encampments.
Mr Williams was among dozens of students who occupied and camped outside the Oxford Natural History museum to protest against their university’s alleged complicity in Israel’s war against Hamas.
In another disturbing image, Mr Williams can be seen wearing a khaki military jacket and smirking while he waves a presumably fake gun in the air.
The image has been edited, so that black scrawl marks block the student’s eyes – in an apparent effort to keep him anonymous.
Another social media post captioned ‘f*** your exams 2024, anti-colonial action’ includes a picture of Mr Williams and a female friend participating in a pro-Palestine protest.
Responding to our findings, a spokesman for the Union of Jewish students said: ‘We are horrified by the footage of a University of Oxford student chanting to “put the Zios in the ground”.
‘Against the backdrop of rampant glorification of Hamas terrorism on campus this week, we call on universities to urgently take a stand against the endorsement of violence.
‘We are in contact with the University of Oxford and urge them to act decisively in response to this deeply troubling incident.’
A University of Oxford spokesman added: ‘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.
‘The University’s support for freedom of speech does not extend to any statements including such language.
‘When such language is reported, we will always want to speak to the student concerned, and consider the matter under our disciplinary procedures in line with University and college policies.
‘Oxford is unequivocal: there is no place for antisemitism, harassment, or discrimination within our community. We remain firmly committed to protecting the safety and dignity of all our students and staff.’
Samuel Williams has been contacted for comment.
