A planned visit by a Jewish Labour MP to a school in his constituency was cancelled following a campaign by a pro-Palestine group, it has been revealed.
Visit Called Off Hours Before Event
Damien Egan, the Labour MP for Bristol North East, was scheduled to speak to students at Bristol Brunel Academy in September. However, the school called off the engagement just hours before it was due to take place.
The cancellation came to light after Communities Secretary Steve Reed spoke at a Jewish Labour Movement conference in north London. He described a case where a Jewish colleague was refused permission to visit a school in his own constituency "in case his presence inflames the teachers." He labelled the situation an "absolute outrage."
Sources close to Egan have confirmed to the Guardian that Reed was referring to the Bristol MP's cancelled September visit. There is reportedly still hope the engagement might be rescheduled for a future date.
Campaign Group Claims Victory
Following the cancellation, the Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign posted on Facebook, stating the visit was called off after concerns were raised by the National Education Union (NEU) staff group, parents, and constituents.
The group's statement read: "This is a clear message: politicians who openly support Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza are not welcome in our schools." It noted that Egan is vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel and has visited Israel since the conflict in Gaza began.
On its own Facebook page, Bristol NEU celebrated the cancellation as "a win for safeguarding, solidarity, and for the power of the NEU trade union staff group, parents, and campaigners standing together."
MP Targeted Since Election
The incident is part of a pattern of targeting faced by Damien Egan since he won his seat in the 2024 election. Egan, who is married to Israeli software developer Yossi Felberbaum, has been a focus for anti-Israel activists.
According to reports from the Bristol Cable in November, there was a "flurry of organising" ahead of the planned visit, including a suggestion that people wear keffiyehs on the day.
At the conference, Steve Reed also stated that the UK government had been slow to respond to some instances of anti-Israel extremism and promised that Labour had "reassessed" this approach. He vowed: "They will be called in, and they will be held to account for doing that, because you cannot have people with those kinds of attitudes teaching our children."
Neither Damien Egan nor Bristol Brunel Academy has publicly commented on the cancellation.
