Hillary Clinton: Queen's University letter criticises chancellor over Gaza

A group of 260 staff, alumni and students at Queen's University Belfast have written a letter "registering profound concern" over Hillary Clinton's role as chancellor.

In an open letter, they cite an op-ed for The Atlantic in November rejecting the call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Mrs Clinton was inaugurated as the university's chancellor in September 2021.

The university said it had not yet received the letter.

Conflict has raged since the 7 October attack by Hamas in Israel, which has led to retaliatory attacks in Gaza.

The US secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, a role Mrs Clinton previously served in, is in the Middle East to discuss a post-war plan to govern and secure Gaza.

Addressed to the university's vice chancellor and deputy vice chancellor, the letter states: "We ask the university to call for an immediate ceasefire, an urgent review of the current chancellor's position, and the introduction of a more rigorous ethical investment policy in consultation with staff and student unions."

One of the signatories of the letter was Prof John Barry of the university's School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics.

"Hillary Clinton is on public record as not calling for a ceasefire which we, as those who signed that letter, find unconscionable," Prof Barry told BBC News NI.

"Many of us feel frankly both ashamed and embarrassed that we have as a chancellor somebody who's not supporting a call for a ceasefire.

"Once again it's left to staff to stand up where management haven't."

Prof Barry said that he would like to see Mrs Clinton call for a ceasefire and apologise for her previous remarks.

"So she could stay as chancellor, but represent the will of those of us of staff and of course students as well," he said.

"Falling short of that we should remove her as chancellor because I don't think she's fit to represent this institution if those are her views.

"So either apologise and join with us in calling for a ceasefire, or do the honourable thing and step down, because you're not representing staff and students."

He added: "The reason why we've gone public is that it's like an act of desperation.

"The university only seems to respond to negative publicity and so those of us who've signed our name that's the path we've chosen - other staff may have different views and that's absolutely fine."

In response, a spokesperson for Queen's University said that its vice chancellor, Prof Sir Ian Greer, had called for an immediate ceasefire on Sunday.

In a social media post, Prof Greer said: "As the head of a university that has a long history in promoting global peace and reconciliation, I have called for an immediate end to the conflict in Gaza with a humanitarian ceasefire so urgent aid relief can commence in the region.

"Dialogue must commence to secure a lasting peace and the violence must stop.

"The lesson of Northern Ireland is that peace can be achieved with hard work and compromise.

"Our young people have no memory of the conflict and thankfully no experience of it either, which is an outstanding achievement for all our leaders past and present.

"Let's hope for the same in the Middle East in the years to come."

In her op-ed in the Atlantic in November, Mrs Clinton wrote that Hamas "have proved again and again that they will not abide by ceasefires, will sabotage any efforts to forge a lasting peace, and will never stop attacking Israel".

She added: "So the Biden administration is correct not to seek a full ceasefire at this moment, which would give Hamas a chance to re-arm and perpetuate the cycle of violence.

"Hamas would claim that it had won and it would remain a key part of Iran's so-called axis of resistance.

"By contrast, the humanitarian pauses advocated by the Biden administration and tentatively accepted by the Israelis can save lives without rewarding Hamas."

Mrs Clinton has been a high profile figure in American and world politics, serving as First Lady during her husband Bill's terms as president in the 1990s, later being elected as a US senator for New York.

She was secretary of state during the Obama administration and was defeated by Donald Trump in the 2016 race for the White House.

She was appointed chancellor of Queen's University in 2020 and inaugurated the following year.