The St Andrews University rector who accused Israel of committing “genocidal attacks” in an email to all students in October 2023 has won her appeal after being removed from her role on the institution’s governing body over the comments.
Stella Maris was dismissed as president of the university court in the wake of the email, sent shortly after she was elected as rector and weeks after the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on October 7.
In the email, she said a vigil had been held at the university “following weeks of genocidal attacks by the Israeli government against Gaza”.
She wrote: “We must continue to recognise and condemn acts that are internationally regarded as humanitarian and war crimes.”
"It is also crucial to acknowledge and denounce the actions by Hamas that qualify as war crimes, notably the taking of hostages and deliberately targeting civilians, which I have and continue to do."
The email also included a link to the Electronic Intifada, an anti-Israel news website which has hosted articles supporting the BDS movement and frequently accuses Israel of genocide.
Following the email, more than 1,400 students demanded that she retract her remarks or resign. The university said at the time that it was “dismayed” by the email and commissioned an investigation by Lady Morag Ross KC into Maris’s comments which found she had “breached her responsibilities” to students.
Lady Ross found that some Jewish students were distressed and “feared for their safety” after receiving the email. She added that other students felt “validated and heard” by Maris.
In an 80-page report, the barrister concluded that Maris had caused reputational damage to the university and noted the rector “told me that she would take the same decision again and will not apologise”.
The university’s government court removed Maris as its president following the report but she retained her title as rector and appealed the decision.
Maris said the decision to remove her from the governing body “sets a dangerous precedent for freedom of speech” and “shows a lack of respect” for her position.
She added: “As a young, neurodiverse black woman with limited financial resources, I have faced the full force of the university, including a KC investigation, all because I made a statement supported by the overwhelming majority of students, calling for an end to a genocide.”
Supported by the European Legal Support Centre (ELSC), Maris appealed the decision to the university’s Chancellor, Lord Campbell of Pittenweem. Campbell, a former Liberal Democrat leader, who has now ruled in her favour.
Maris will resume her full role as head of the university’s court and retain the office of rector until her term expires in 2026.
Speaking to a local paper, The Courier, Maris said the ruling was not only a “vindication of my position, but a defence of the fundamental principles of free expression and democratic accountability within our universities”.
She went on: “Universities must remain places where individuals are free to speak out against injustice, especially where that speech is grounded in humanitarian concern and moral conscience in line with the principles of international human rights.
“I am grateful to the many students, academics, and members of the public who stood in solidarity with me over the past months. I intend to continue campaigning to ensure the right to political expression and academic freedom.”
Maris read English and philosophy at St Andrews, joining as an undergraduate in 2017. She has since filled a series of student representation roles and was elected to the rector position by university students in October 2023 for a three-year term.
In response to the ruling, a University of St Andrews spokesperson said: "As the body that made the decision to dismiss the rector, University Court is carefully considering the chancellor's decision and taking advice from counsel.
"This issue was never about free speech and only ever about governance. Ms Maris remains rector of the University and has done so throughout.”
