The Oxford Union, one of the UK's oldest and most prestigious debating societies, is under threat of closure by its board of trustees following a speech delivered by Palestinian author Susan Abulhawa during a 2024 debate, according to sources.

A senior Union official, who requested anonymity, told TRT World that it was "a first", as the charity board that oversees the society — the Oxford Literary and Debating Union Trust (OLDUT) — typically refrains from interfering in the Union's activities, despite previous controversies.

The alleged ultimatum comes in response to the decision by current student members to reverse the censorship of Abulhawa's speech on the Union's official YouTube channel.

The speech was part of a recent debate on Israel and Palestine.

At the conclusion of the debate, the Union voted 278 to 59 in favour of the resolution, which declared Israel as an apartheid state responsible for genocide.

OLDUT allegedly demanded that only an edited version of Abulhawa's speech — which muted her and infringed on her contractual rights by removing her statements accusing Israel of war crimes — remain as the official record.

They have insisted that the full, unedited version not be uploaded.

"It's a bit shocking, the lengths they will go to. In essence, they're willing to destroy a 200-year-old institution for... this Zionist genocidal colony," Abulhawa told TRT World.

She described the Western ideals of "democracy and free speech", often touted to the Global South, as "a complete farce."

As students begin efforts to rectify what they see as a violation of free speech, the Union's board of trustees has threatened to evict the student society from its historic premises if they proceed.

The limits of Palestine and the law

The Union has come under legal scrutiny after uploading an edited version of Abulhawa's speech, in which she spoke in support of the team supporting the motion.

A lawsuit, which Abulhawa is pursuing against the debating society, seeks to compel the restoration of her full, unedited remarks on the Union's website.

The ongoing case accuses the Union of discrimination, copyright infringement, and breach of contract.

"This seems to be the first time they've actually edited the content of someone's speech," Abulhawa told TRT World.

"It was factual information. In fact, one of the points they removed from my speech was also made by another speaker – and they left it in [the other’s speech]."

Abulhawa was censored for referencing the physical, sexual, and psychological abuse inflicted upon Palestinian prisoners by Israeli forces at Sde Teiman detention camp and other sites.

She was also silenced for stating that Israel has committed war crimes — a claim widely reported by news agencies and documented by human rights organisations globally.

"I asked them to sign [and] agree… that they would not edit any part of my speech," Abulhawa emphasised.

She added that, as a writer, her choice of words is always intentional: "You take one part [away], and another part doesn't make sense."

"It's my intellectual property, and for someone to pervert it in such a way is egregious," Abulhawa said.

According to the sources, who spoke to TRT World, it remains to be seen whether students at the Union will yield to pressure and coercive attempts to censor the institution — long known as "the last bastion of free speech."

Where free speech isn't a free speech

Since the commencement of Israel's genocide in Gaza, universities, media outlets, businesses, and other institutions worldwide have experienced pressure from Israel and its lobbies.

The BBC is among the top British media organisations most criticised for its pro-Israel editorial stance.

In November 2024, more than 100 BBC staff anonymously submitted a letter to the Director-General, Tim Davie, accusing the broadcaster of unjustly favouring Israel in its coverage of Israel's genocide in Gaza.

One of the most striking examples of free speech suppression in higher education occurred at Columbia University in New York, where law enforcement — in coordination with university administrators — arrested, expelled, and withheld the diplomas of students involved in Gaza solidarity encampments in April 2024.

In March 2025, Columbia's administration further cooperated with the US government to facilitate the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a leading figure in the student protests.

"They have no moral argument. The only thing they can do is silence us," Abulhawa said, reflecting on what she sees as a global pattern of repression around Palestinian advocacy.

"The only thing they can do is deport us, shut us down, arrest us, and intimidate us. That's it – because there can be no more pretence."