Student awarded damages over claim University Challenge mascot was antisemitic

06 March 2024 , 14:34

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Melika Gorgianeh appeared on University Challenge (Image: BBC)

A University Challenge student who received death threats after falsely being accused of antisemitism has been awarded “substantial damages”.

Conservative peer Jacqueline Foster has apologised to Melika Gorgianeh, a student at Christ Church College, Oxford, for calling for her arrest over the team mascot and colours.

Ms Gorgianeh appeared on University Challenge last November and her quiz team had a blue octopus as its mascot which Lady Foster wrongly claimed was intended as an antisemitic symbol. She also had a jacket which was compared to the colours of the Palestinian flag.

The accusation came during heightened tensions in Israel and Gaza following the October 7 massacre by Hamas and the subsequent Israeli shelling. Now Lady Foster has apologised in an X post where she said she had paid “substantial damages and costs” to Ms Gorgianeh.

The octopus has been used in antisemitic conspiracy theories as a way of supposedly indicating power exerted by Jews. And following the University Challenge show Lady Foster called for Ms Gorgianeh to be expelled from the university and arrested, while she also tagged Rishi Sunak in her social media post.

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Lady Foster has paid out 'substantial damages' (Isopix/REX/Shutterstock)

But the BBC said that the episode was made in March last year, months before the latest conflict. Lady Foster tweeted today: “Following my public apology on X on 30 November 2023 and my private apology by personal letter on 1 December 2023, I wish to apologise to Ms Gorgianeh for my part in posts made about her on X on the 20 November 2023 following the airing of @BBC’s University Challenge programme.

“I wrongly alleged that Ms Gorgianeh chose one of the most disgusting antisemitic symbols, a blue octopus, as her team’s mascot which I held her responsible for. I accept that these allegations were completely false and unfounded. I made a grave mistake in making those posts and I should not have done so.

“I again deeply apologise to Ms Gorgianeh for these allegations and any distress caused to her. We have since reached an amicable resolution. I do hope this goes some way in mitigating what has been a most distressing time for her. I have agreed to pay her substantial damages and costs.”

While Ms Gorgianeh released a statement through her solicitors Rahman Lowe where she said that the comments from Lady Foster had been deeply damaging for her and she had received death threats.

She stated: “Baroness Foster’s posts, and the posts of others who are yet to be held to account, affected both myself and my family. I felt unsafe to even leave my house. Nobody should ever have to feel how I felt or go through what I went through. Words have consequences. And now, through her apology, Baroness Foster’s words begin to have the consequence of healing the very real damage that had been done to me.”

Tim Hanlon