UK Foreign Office worker signs petition denying sexual violence on October 7

People visit the site of the Nova music festival massacre, in Re

A British civil servant has sparked outrage after she signed a petition that described the sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 as “propaganda” used to justify Israel’s “genocide” against Palestinians, according to the Jewish Chronicle.

The Gender and Equalities Department worker signed a petition that alleged that the New York Times article, which confirmed the testimony of the victims of sexual violence on October 7, cited “no evidence.”

Dimpy Sanganee has what’s been described as an “instrumental” role in tackling violence against women and girls particularly in fighting against female genital mutilation.

Following the JC’s claims, the petition that she had signed disappeared from the website Change.org. The petition was originally posted by the Egyptian feminist group SpeakUp.

The petition claimed that even if there was sexual violence committed on October 7, there was “no evidence to support the occupation’s allegations” that they were committed by Hamas, instead, it deflected the blame towards the IDF.

People attend the ‘We Stand With Israel’ rally to express solidarity with the country on the 100 day anniversary since the October 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Trafalgar Square in London, Britain, January 14, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/Belinda Jiao)

People attend the ‘We Stand With Israel’ rally to express solidarity with the country on the 100 day anniversary since the October 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Trafalgar Square in London, Britain, January 14, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/Belinda Jiao)

A Foreign Office spokesperson told the JC that they would be investigating the incident saying, “We have a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism. Allegations of discrimination of any kind are taken very seriously and will be fully investigated. The UK Government remains resolute in its support of Israel after the worst terrorist attack in its history.”

Indoctrination of government workers?

This has fed into recent claims that the UK’s Foreign Office workers have been receiving anti-Israel indoctrination at university courses meant to help educate them about counter-terrorism.

This claim was most recently made by Anna Stanley in the Fathom Journal a former civil servant who received such training at Kings College London (KCL) where she alleges she was taught that “Condemning terrorism is to endorse the power of the strong over the weak.”

This was part of a series of what she claims are anti-Israel beliefs which are taught to the civil servants. She claims that Israel was the main example used to refer to when considering the question of whether a state can commit terrorism.

“Condemning terrorism is to endorse the power of the strong over the weak,” this is another phrase Stanley claims was placed on one of the slides, she claims these inherently set up civil servants to have an anti-Israel bias.

She also claimed that one lecturer wished to see the suppression of Douglas Murray and Joe Rogan, saying “Concluding his talk, the lecturer told a room full of government professionals, ‘So, society needs to find other ways to suppress them.’”

Although, for context, Murray appears to be in a bit of a public feud with the same professor at KCL when he directly called out the professor on the British channel TalkTV, telling them that he has sent numerous legal letters to KCL and called for him to be suspended.

The professor, Peter Neumann, hit back against Murray in a letter sent to the Times. He told them “I am a center-right liberal and, as such, am highly critical of ‘cancel culture’, whether from the right or left. My strong belief is that, when it comes to politically controversial ideas, it is the job of society, not governments or lawmakers, to engage with and — if necessary — debunk them.”

A KCL spokesperson told the JC: “This private, invite-only course for civil servants was delivered on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, and as with all our courses, attendees were taught by eminent experts using impartial and evidence-based resources in an environment where different theories, concepts, and questions are shared to prompt discussion”.