UK universities accused of spying on pro-Palestine activists

• An investigation reveals 12 UK universities paying a private firm to spy on pro-Palestine students.
• Over £440,000 spent to monitor pro-Palestine students' social media accounts.
• Institutions include Oxford, UCL, Imperial College London, LSE, King's College London, and 7 other universities.

A Joint investigation between Al Jazeera and Liberty Investigates revealed that twelve British universities have secretly paid a private intelligence firm, Horus Security Consultancy, to spy on students protesting for Palestine. 

Horus was established by a former Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Whiteley.  Colonel Tim Collins, a former SAS soldier, later became the director of its parent company in 2020. 

He has previously spoken out against pro-Gaza protesters in the UK, calling for non-British protesters who "misbehave" to be deported from the UK.

Read more: Zara Larsson reveals professional fallout over pro-Palestine stance

List of universities are involved 

Universities that have been confirmed to pay  include the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University College London, King's College London, London School of Economics, University of Sheffield, University of Leicester, University of Nottingham, Cardiff Metropolitan University, University of Bristol, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Newcastle University

These findings have come to light after Al Jazeera English and Liberty Investigates submitted freedom of information (FOI) requests to more than 150 universities.

All the institutions named in this article were approached for comment by Al Jazeera and Liberty Investigates.

The University of Oxford, UCL, KCL, the University of Leicester and the University of Nottingham did not respond to requests for comment.

Universities such as the University of Bristol paid over £8,700 to cover all protest activity across the whole city.

Seven universities refused freedom of information requests for copies of briefs when asked, stating it is against the Horus company policy. 

Targeted assessment

In April 2023, Palestinian guest speaker Rabab Ibrhaim Abdulhade was invited to deliver a lecture in memory of British student Tom Hurndall, who was shot by an 'Israeli' sniper in Gaza in 2003 and died from a coma nine months later on Jan. 13, 2004

It was found that a six-page report, including her social media use alongside allegations made by pro-'Israeli' groups against her, was provided to the university.

Investigations revealed that Horus was not the only firm. 28 universities launched investigations against students and staff who support Palestine since October 2023. 

With over 113 people affected. Nine universities received briefings on student protests from private intelligence companies, which include Horus, Mitie Intelligence, and Global Situational Awareness. 36 universities had direct correspondence with police, with over a dozen holding meetings with the police.

Read more: Ex-Marine McGinnis renews pro-Palestine stance after release from jail

Legal Alarm 

A UN special rapporteur, Gina Romero, stated that the use of AI to harvest and analyze student data raises legal concerns. 

Jo Grady, General Secretary of the University and College Union, called it "shameful" that these institutions had "wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds spying on their own students." 

It is unknown how many other universities in other countries have also done the same, allowing outside companies to gather information on their students without the students' knowledge or permission.