Photograph: World Economic Forum

Armed police flanked the Bodleian on Tuesday night as Shimon Peres arrived in Oxford to present a lecture to students and staff at the Sheldonian.

But the heavy security could do little to prevent a verbal assault on Peres as students interrupted his speech with a series of attacks on Israel's policy on Palestine.

Throughout the course of the talk, entitled 'the globalisation of peace', a series of eight students stood up and shouted statements in what they described as a gesture on behalf of the Palestinians.

One student shouted, "I represent the thousands of farmers who've had their land stolen illegally to build Israeli settlements."

Another student, who loudly heckled Peres and called him a war criminal, was escorted out of the building by security guards.

Around 40 students gathered in front of the Sheldonian to protest at Peres' visit and at one point chants of 'Free Palestine' threatened to drown out his voice.

The response of other students to the hecklers was mixed, with some booing and hissing and some clapping in response to those who interrupted the president. At the end of the talk, some students present remained seated while others stood to enthusiastically applaud.

Peres was invited to Oxford by Andrew Graham, Master of Balliol College, in order to inaugurate the first of a series of five lectures on the subject of peace.

Mr Graham said that he was "well aware of the opposition that has been expressed about this invitation" but that "the fundamental purpose of a University which is to hear and discuss and examine all points of view."

During his speech, Peres hailed the election of Barack Obama as "the end of racism" and "a clear demonstration that we live in a different world."

He also addressed the problems of peace negotiations and the progress made by Israel in the fields of science, agriculture, alternative energy and medicine.

Watch Cherwell's video of the protest against Peres' lecture here

Comments

Isaac Hogarth

19th November at 10.14pm

x

I'm afraid your reporter is mistaken - there were very few who clapped those who disrupted the lecture, and the vast majority of the students in the room did stand and applaud at the end. Also the student escorted out stood up and was walking towards the stage, shouting and gesticulating - his removal was understandable.

Concerned

19th November at 11.42pm

x

This article gives the impression that those in attendance last night in fact supported the few who chose to ignorantly disrespect the speaker, an allegation based on little more than the reporter's own (quite apparent) bias. I can assure your readers that most members of the University do not think it acceptable to harass and jeer at heads of state who have the good grace to visit us.

clarification

20th November at 12.55am

x

I disagree with the comments left above. There was not huge support in the hall for the protestors' comments, but opposition was nevertheless present both inside and outside, and the report would have been wrong to suggest otherwise. Shimon Perez's visit was vehemently opposed by many in the student population. Rather than displaying a bias, the report accurately conveys this.

Laura Pitel

20th November at 1.18am

x

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbT2Z4dh-KA At 4:01 you'll see the heckler who was escorted out. I would consider it fair to say he was both booed and applauded.

Honest reporter

20th November at 5.59am

x

It seems that the Cherwell's being hijacked by the disrespectful vigilanties who were tarnishing Oxford's image last night by equating a nobel peace prize winner to the perpetrator of the Holocaust. The Sheldonian, as you ought to know, seats roughly 1000 students. The number of students expressing support for the libelous accusations was miniscule - far less than 100. Get your facts right.

attendee

21st November at 3.26am

x

I was there, and the article accurately conveys what happened and is balanced and fair. At least half of the attendees did not stand up for the ovation, and many inside could not hear the lecture due to the outside protest. Well done to the Cherwell for the professional journalism reporting.

bea

25th November at 5.42am

x

"the fundamental purpose of a University which is to hear and discuss and examine all points of view." Could I ask that Oxford invite a representative of the Hamas Government also to give a public lecture? It is not hard to find one with arguably less blood on their hands than Peres, and Israel would almost certainly not let them attend anyway, if that were a concern.