Newcastle Amnesty Society has since accused NUSU of a “surveillance model” of Palestinian activism
The Newcastle Amnesty Society must attend a disciplinary hearing regarding the use of the Bob Vylan virus on social media.
The trending audio includes the chant “death to the IDF”, a reference to the Israel Defense Forces, and was used in the “meet the committee” download.
The society claims Newcastle University Students’ Union (NUSU) asked them to review the post but did not formally ask for it to be removed, leaving the decision to the society.
The Newcastle Amnesty Society claims it was later contacted again by NUSU and informed that a complaint had been made about the use of the Bob Vylan clip and disciplinary action would be taken. The hearing has since been scheduled for Thursday, December 11.
Society has criticized NUSU for a “lack of transparency”. According to the Newcastle Amnesty Society, NUSU’s only reason for disciplinary action so far is that the post was flagged as violent, and the content of the complaint is not revealed to them until 24 hours before the hearing.
NUSU has confirmed an investigation is ongoing and said it remains committed to defending the right to freedom of expression. The spokesperson added that all students are expected to follow the union’s code of conduct and necessary measures are taken to prevent harassment and intimidation of others. Newcastle University fully accepted that statement and declined to comment further.
Bob Vylan led vocals at Glastonbury Festival this year via YouTube
The Newcastle Amnesty Society claim that NUSU has shown a “pattern of scrutiny” towards Palestine-related activism, and both they and the Palestine Society are facing significant backlash over minor details.
The recording comes from Bob Vylan’s controversial performance at Glastonbury on 28 June 2025, which was streamed live on BBC iPlayer. During the set, Bobby Vylan, frontman of the rap-punk duo, led chants of “death, death to the IDF” in protest of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The show caused significant backlash for Bob Vylan, leading to the shows being canceled, their US visas being revoked, and their agency, UTA, being dropped.
The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit later reviewed the series and found that, while it breached editorial guidelines on harm and crime, it did not breach the BBC’s impartiality rules and did not encourage or incite crime. Avon and Somerset Police have also launched an investigation into the ongoing show.
After the festival, Bob Vylan posted on Instagram: “We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for dismantling the violent military machine.”
NUSU has confirmed that an investigation is underway
In a recent Instagram post, the Newcastle Amnesty Society accused NUSU of applying a double standard that supports Zionist viewpoints. It said: “We have watched our SU (Students’ Union) and others nationally adopt structures that misrepresent anti-Zionism while validating the narrative of groups such as the Federation of Jewish Students, which openly identify as a Zionist organization and publicly support the state of ‘Israel’ and its military actions.”
These claims take on added significance in the context of a forthcoming report by Amnesty International UK, which is said to be Newcastle University as a case study in the suppression of student voices in UK higher education. The report is part of Amnesty International UK’s Defend Dissent campaign, which aims to defend protest rights in British universities.
On 20 November, Newcastle University’s student union approved a motion to start lobbying the university to accept the Defend Dissent Charter, which Amnesty hopes five British universities will sign by next year.
A Newcastle University Students’ Union spokesperson said: “The Students’ Union has received a complaint about the use of an audio clip of Amnesty International Society’s Bob Vylan on social media recently. An investigation is currently underway in accordance with standard union processes under the Constitution. The society has been sent the full complaint and has the right to respond.
“The student union is committed to defending the right to freedom of speech. We also ask our student members to follow our code of conduct, respect our values, treat others with respect and take all necessary measures to prevent harassment and intimidation of others.”
Bob Vylan did not respond to a request for comment.
Newcastle Amnesty Society declined a request for comment.
Featured image via YouTube and Instagram