Overview
- Brodie Mitchell, 20, was suspended for nine weeks within 24 hours after likening a pro-Palestinian student’s keffiyeh to a “tea towel” during a campus exchange last September.
- Surrey Police is investigating Mitchell over alleged hate speech arising from the same incident.
- Mitchell has filed a High Court claim alleging the university breached its contract and harmed his studies, including claims he was forced from housing and barred from contacting students, which the university disputes.
- A court issued a Costs Management Order that reduced Royal Holloway’s projected legal bill from £734,000 to £226,000 ahead of the June hearing.
- Royal Holloway says it followed its conduct procedures after a formal complaint reported as a hate crime and frames the conduct as harassment, while the Free Speech Union backs Mitchell and he has been allowed back on campus.