Student Suspended Over ‘Tea Towel’ Row With Palestine Activist Wins Compensation
18th April 2026
A university has paid compensation to a student it suspended for hate speech after he compared a pro-Palestine activist’s headscarf to a tea towel.
Activist: Someone who isn’t happy unless pissing in someone else’s soup.
Brodie Mitchell had accused his university of behaving unlawfully after it subjected him to “unfair” disciplinary measures over the petty “spat”.
The 20-year-old launched court proceedings against Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL) over its decision to temporarily suspend him from his studies over the comments.
RHUL has agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to Mr Mitchell as “a gesture of goodwill”, after the two sides settled the dispute out of court.
In a statement seen by The Telegraph, the university expressed regret for “the length of time” Mr Mitchell had been suspended and “the distress this caused him as a result”.