Paulin avoids charge

The Board of Deputies of British Jews will not prosecute poet and Oxford academic Tom Paulin for inciting racial hatred in alleged remarks he made about Jewish settlers to an Egyptian newspaper, writes Claire Sanders.

A spokeswoman for the board said: "Lawyers have told us that we would not be able to mount a successful prosecution as Mr Paulin has said he was misquoted and as the comments were originally reported from the internet."

Mr Paulin allegedly compared American Jewish settlers in the Palestinian territories to Nazis who should be shot dead. He has said his views were "distorted".

The board has asked the National Lottery why Mr Paulin is in receipt of a £75,000 endowment to produce a work on second world war poetry.

The board is also concerned by a campaign by leading academics, including professors Patrick Bateson, Colin Blakemore, Richard Dawkins and Stephen Rose, for a moratorium on European Union and national cultural and research grants to Israel until it abides by United Nations' resolutions and opens "serious" peace negotiations.

The board spokeswoman said: "Academics in our universities are placing their personal political agenda above the requirement to educate today's students in understanding and tolerance."

Elliott Goldstein, co-president of Oxford's Jewish Society, said: "We want the university to condemn Mr Paulin's (alleged) remarks in the strongest possible terms."

Some Jewish students are calling for a boycott of Mr Paulin's lectures but the Jewish society has not supported this.

Oxford is investigating the remarks. It is also looking carefully at the judgment in the race discrimination case brought by Nadeem Ahmed against Oxford. Mr Paulin was Mr Ahmed's moral tutor and the judge described his role as "lamentable".

Mr Paulin was unavailable for comment.