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Student Faces Hate Crime Charge Over Headscarf Comment

4/10/2026

Summary

Story summary

Brodie Mitchell, a 20-year-old student at Royal Holloway, University of London, may face a hate crime charge for comparing a Palestine activist's headscarf to a tea towel during a Fresher's Fair in September 2023.
The university suspended Mitchell while investigating the incident, which he claims was provoked by being called a "wannabe Jew" by Huda El-Jamal, president of the Friends of Palestine Society.
Mitchell has returned to campus and is suing the university for violating his contractual rights, with a High Court hearing scheduled for June 2024.
Police are also investigating the hate crime report related to the incident.

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Story summary

Brodie Mitchell, a 20-year-old student at Royal Holloway, University of London, may face a hate crime charge for comparing a Palestine activist's headscarf to a tea towel during a Fresher's Fair in September 2023.
The university suspended Mitchell while investigating the incident, which he claims was provoked by being called a "wannabe Jew" by Huda El-Jamal, president of the Friends of Palestine Society.
Mitchell has returned to campus and is suing the university for violating his contractual rights, with a High Court hearing scheduled for June 2024.
Police are also investigating the hate crime report related to the incident.