The co-chair of Oxford University Labour Club (OULC) has resigned after claiming that a "large proportion" of members "have some kind of problem with Jews".

Oriel College student Alex Chalmers announced that he was stepping down on Facebook following OULC's decision to endorse Israel Apartheid Week, an annual series of lectures and rallies against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

In a Facebook post yesterday Mr Chalmers said the club was "becoming increasingly riven by factional splits, and despite its avowed commitment to liberation, the attitudes of certain members of the club towards certain disadvantaged groups had become poisonous".

He reported that high-ranking members of the group frequently used the term 'Zio', a derogatory term for Jews, and expressed solidatiry with Hamas.

He added: "A large proportion of both OULC and the student left in Oxford more generally have some kind of a problem with Jews.

"The decision of the club to endorse a movement with a history of targeting and harassing Jewish students and inviting antisemitic speakers to campuses, despite the concerns of Jewish students, illustrates how uneven and insincere much of the active membership is when it comes to liberation."

In a blog post published online shortly after the announcement Mr Chalmers's co-chair Noni Csogor, who will not be stepping down, said she was "deeply upset" by the decision but praised his "admirable" commitment to his principles.

She added: "We did not vote on a blanket position on the Israel-Palestine conflict; we voted to support Oxford’s Israeli Apartheid Week.

"OULC and the Labour Party have always been against racism and oppression in all its forms; this must include the policies of the current Israeli government.

"That said, it also includes anti-Semitism. Alex is right to highlight growing anti-Semitic violence in the UK as a major issue; it’s also horrifying that Jewish students feel unsafe on campuses... I will be discussing, with my executive committee, how to deal with the kinds of statements Alex mentions, and what concrete steps we can take in future to preserve a club that’s been a safe haven for Jewish students in the past."