University Challenge student awarded damages over claim mascot was antisemitic

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Tory peer has apologised to a University Challenge student after claims of antisemitism. Conservative peer Baroness Jacqueline Foster has said sorry to Melika Gorgianeh for claims of antisemitism that led to the student getting death threats.The politician from Liverpool had made false claims after an episode of the BBC quiz show that was shown on November 20 2023.

It showed Ms Gorgianeh with her team members, who were representing Christ Church College at the University of Oxford.On X, the former MEP accused Ms Gorgianeh of wearing the colours of the Palestinian flag and called for the student to be "expelled" by her university and "arrested" by the police.The 76 year old also said the octopus soft toy, used as a mascot by the team, was one of the most "disgusting antisemitic symbols".Ms Gorgianeh said the politician's claims "had a profound and deeply damaging impact" on her life, and had led to her getting death threats which affected her mental health.This comes as the University and College Union (UCU) asked the Secretary of State for Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donelan, to resign after she said sorry for suggesting Professor Kate Sang, a teacher at Heriot-Watt University, supported Hamas.In a social media post on Wednesday, Baroness Foster said she had sent a letter of apology to Miss Gorgianeh in December 2023 and mentioned that she had agreed to pay her "substantial damages and costs".Baroness Foster has apologised to Ms Gorgianeh for falsely accusing her of using an antisemitic symbol, a blue octopus, as her team's mascot on the BBC's University Challenge programme.

She admitted in a post: "I wrongly alleged that Ms Gorgianeh chose one of the most disgusting antisemitic symbols, a blue octopus, as her