Masked demonstrators stormed the classroom of Israeli-born economics professor Michael Ben-Gad at City University of London on Wednesday, threatening to behead him while screaming accusations that he was a “war criminal” and a “Nazi.” But if the group calling itself City Action for Palestine thought they could intimidate a former IDF soldier into submission, they badly miscalculated. Ben-Gad’s response has been a masterclass in defiant humor, earning him support from over a thousand academics across Britain.
“They came right up to me and screamed in my face,” Ben-Gad told Sky News. “One of them made a threat about having my head chopped off.” Video footage showed masked protesters taking over the classroom, yelling that Ben-Gad “is part of the genocide in Gaza” and charging that he served in what they called the “IOF”—Israeli Occupation Forces, anti-Israel activists’ preferred term for the IDF. Security personnel worked to guide the enraged students out as they chanted pro-Palestine slogans.
A week earlier, City Action for Palestine distributed flyers around campus branding Ben-Gad a “terrorist” and demanding his dismissal because his compulsory military service from 1982 to 1985 coincided with the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War. That massacre, which occurred September 16-18, 1982, saw between 1,300 and 3,500 civilians—mostly Palestinians and Lebanese Shias—killed following the assassination of Christian President-elect Bashir Jemayel. The killings were perpetrated by the Lebanese Forces, a Christian militia allied with Israel against the Palestinian Liberation Organization terrorists who had invaded Lebanon and were using it as a base to launch attacks against Israel. The PLO prosecuted and murdered Christian Lebanese and remained entrenched in the country in contravention of ceasefire agreements. The PLO was also suspected of assassinating Jemayel. The United Nations blamed Israel for the massacre even though the IDF did not fire a single shot.
Ben-Gad, who has taught at City University since 2008 and served three years as head of the economics department, was having none of it. “If the objective of the demonstration was to frighten or intimidate me, frankly, they will have to try a lot harder than printing up a flyer, launching an Instagram campaign, or a small demonstration,” he told the Daily Mail. His only crime, he said, was being a Jew who had lived in the Middle East.
“I lectured this week as usual while all this was beginning, and plan to do so next week as well,” Ben-Gad said. “I am indeed, as they claim, an IDF veteran, and I plan to act like one—these modern brownshirts are not going to send me into hiding.”
In his response, he described the event, noting that the group’s video was widely available on social media. “It makes for very difficult viewing, “ Ben Gad said. “I’ll warn people, because they captured me in profile. And frankly, I need to lose some weight.”
But it was Ben-Gad’s appearance on comedian Josh Howie’s GB News show Free Speech Nation that truly showcased his refusal to be cowed. Recounting that the protesters were now offering him “terms”—he could “have his life back” if he apologized for his military service—Ben-Gad proceeded to deliver his “apology” to the camera. “Good evening, thugs,” he began.
Far from expressing regret, Ben-Gad explained that although military service was compulsory for Israeli citizens, “for most of us, conscription merely absolved us of the need to volunteer.” Then he drove his point home: “I was born less than 20 years after nearly my entire family was gassed at Treblinka. And personally, I would have crawled over cut glass to get to that induction centre, to put on the uniform and defend my people.”
Ben-Gad, who has ties to Israeli universities and the Bank of Israel, said that while City University had offered him paid leave—”very tempting” for an academic with “a lot of research projects”—he was determined to show up to “every single lecture.” The university, he added, was working to bolster his security to make that possible.
The institution stood firmly behind him. “City St George’s fully supports and upholds freedom of expression within the law and is willing to engage in lawful discussion and debate across the full range of topics,” a university spokesperson said. “However, unlawful and repugnant attempts to obstruct and interfere with our academic operations are another thing entirely, and the University will not tolerate the harassment of its staff and students.” The statement emphasized that the group was neither affiliated with the university nor its Students’ Union, and that Ben-Gad “has the full support of the University and its senior management team, as well as colleagues of all faiths and backgrounds.”
More than 1,000 UK academics signed a petition opposing the attacks. “Regardless of diverse views on the recent Gaza war and the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we deplore any campaign that seeks to intimidate and drive out lecturers because they are Israeli, Jewish, or members of any other group,” the petition read.
The incident comes as antisemitism has soared across Britain. More than 1,500 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the first half of 2025, the second-highest total ever, according to the Community Security Trust, which provides security to Jewish organizations across the country.
But Ben-Gad made clear he is not merely standing his ground—he is angry on behalf of his students whose education these masked agitators are disrupting. The professor who survived family annihilation at Treblinka to serve his country is not about to be silenced by a handful of campus thugs. His message is clear: if intimidation is their game, they picked the wrong target.
