A Nazi-themed drinking game played on an LSE student skiing trip has sparked an inquiry after the "Nazi Ring of Fire" culminated in a brawl, leaving a Jewish student with a broken nose.
The trip to Val d'Isère, organised by the London School of Economics' Athletic Union, was attended by 150 students. The fight ensued after a Jewish student objected to the drinking game, according to a statement released by the university's Jewish Society.
A statement from the society said it was "appalled" by the alleged assault.
"Nazi glorification and anti-semitism have no place in our universities, which should remain safe spaces for all students.
President of the Jewish Society, Jay Stoll, added: “For those who believe the game was all in good humour, [they] need to realize [sic] that when a Jewish student is subject to violence and the Nazi ideology glorified, it is no joke, but a spiteful, collective attack on a community.”
“This incident highlights the worrying trends of contemporary anti-Semitism, but beyond all else indicates a depressing lack of education from students of an esteemed institution”
Student journalists Bethany Clarke and Liam Brown broke the story in the LSE newspaper The Beaver on Sunday, revealing how the game involved cards being arranged on a table in the shape of a swastika. The Nazi-themed take on the traditional Ring of Fire drinking game also required players to "salute the Führer".
A video was uploaded to Facebook featuring students making anti-semitic comments but has since been removed, the paper reported.
The LSE released a statement saying both the university and Students' Union (SU) are investigating the events and "are prepared to take disciplinary action if the allegations are shown to be true".
"These are disturbing allegations relating to events which took place on a foreign trip organised by the Students’ Union.
"Students must abide by clear standards of behaviour set by both LSE and the SU and breaches of those standards are taken very seriously.
"We do not tolerate anti-semitism or any other form of racism.
Brendan Mycock, president of the LSE Athletics Union said: “The Athletics Union strongly condemns the actions taken by a small group of individuals on the Ski trip to Val D’iserre [sic] in December of 2011.
"The Athletics Union prides itself on our open and tolerant nature and behaviour of this sort is not acceptable and is not an accurate representation of the behaviour we uphold ourselves to."
This is not the first time the LSE has been embroiled in anti-semitic allegations; in December 2010, police investigated accusations of anti-semitism after a lecture by Palestinian Abdel Bari Atwan provoked 30 Jewish students to walk out in protest.
Responding to incident, Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said:
“It is incomprehensible that students at a prestigious institution could think that a Nazi-themed drinking game was acceptable – that it led to antisemitic insults and ultimately violence towards a Jewish student is sickening.”
After the story broke, The Telegraph called the university "one of the most anti-semitic universities", provoking outrage on Twitter (see pictures).
"Students at one of Britain's most anti-semitic universities played a Nazi themed drinking game" The Telegraph claimed. The words "BEING LEGALLED PUB" also appeared in the headline.
One tweeter, @sheldonline, said: "As a (Jewish) former LSE governor and student leader, I can categorically state that @telegraph's claim that LSE is antisemitic is balls."
The Beaver also tweeted: "@Telegraph calls LSE 'one of Britain's most anti-semitic universities". Care to explain?"
The Telegraph has since removed the comments, with the original link leading to a broken page (see pictures)