Ben Shapiro’s invitation to speak at the Oxford Union brought a backlash from protesters.

The right-wing political commentator spoke in depth on the conflict taking place in Israel and Gaza at the famed hall on Monday (October 30).

After his speech, audience members who wanted to challenge the American lawyer and columnist took their positions on the podium and asked their questions.

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Around 25 protesters gathered outside the union campaigning against its invitation on the grounds that it was hosting a ‘racist hate speaker’.

The Oxford Blue student newspaper reported that the Union’s atmosphere intensified at the point when the floor was opened to audience questions.

The paper reported that many attendees clapped exclusively either for the self-identified pro-Palestine questioners or Ben Shapiro’s pro-Israel rebukes.

 

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This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1