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The Rector of an elite Scottish university is bringing a discrimination claim against the 600 year old institution, amid claims she was unfairly removed for condemning genocide in Gaza in an email to students.
Shortly after her election as Rector of St Andrews, and amid Israel’s bombing of Gaza, Maris sent a message to all St Andrews students, calling for a ceasefire in November 2023.
After a disclaimer noting she spoke only as an elected representative, not for the university as a whole, she went on to denounce both the Israeli government’s ‘genocidal attacks’ on Gaza and Hamas’ targeting of civilians and taking of hostages. She spoke of ‘apartheid’ in Palestine and of war crimes.
Following a paragraph condemning Hamas’ terrorist attacks on October 7th she added: “It’s essential to acknowledge the reasons behind these actions, understanding that they are rooted in decades of oppression and systematic mistreatment. This historical context is crucial.”
The message triggered a raft of supportive and opposing petitions and activism on campus, with the Amnesty International society backing her and the Jewish students’ society condemning her.
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The university’s senior leadership team said some students were “deeply offended and concerned” by her email, and that some Jewish students felt unsafe.
In a statement, the management figures added: “The language it used, and some of the sources it cited [e.g. Electronic Intifada] have caused alarm, division and harm in our community, and more widely…As individuals and as a group of senior leaders, asked her to reflect seriously on the evidence of the upset and fear she has caused.”
Maris stood by her message and hit back at all suggestions of anti-Semitism.
Fired and Rehired
The KC, Morag Ross, found in her July report that Maris had shown “poor judgement” and reputational damage to the university, but that dismissal would be a “disproportionate response”.
“The Statement was a single issue. It contained a disclaimer. Division in the University was not entirely due to the Statement. Dismissal would interfere with Ms Maris’ rights to freedom of expression in an unjustified way,” Ross KC said.
But on 1 August 2024, the University Court announced it would dismiss Maris and remove her as a trustee of the university. The governing body alleged that she had refused to accept the findings of the independent investigation (something Maris denies), engage constructively with management in response to the backlash, or take part in mediation.
The university’s principal, Sally Mapstone, also claimed that her message had jeopardised a £2m donation from the Wolfson Foundation. However, the Foundation later denied that the donation was ever at risk.
Maris appealed her dismissal, and was successful in April 2025. The following month, she was reinstated as St Andrews University Rector.
The university denies that she was sacked for speaking out on Gaza, and instead argues her removal related to her conduct after her statement to 10,000 members of the institution.
But the St Andrews Rector is seeking a formal apology and damages from the university, alleging that she faced a breach of her right to free expression under the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998.
She is also alleging she faced direct discrimination on the basis of a protected belief, contrary to section 13 of the Equality Act 2010, and indirect discrimination on the basis of disability under the same act.
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‘Stifling Free Speech’
Maris, who is 26, told Byline Times: “When I became Rector, I made it pretty clear that I wanted to release a statement about Gaza. There was significant pushback, and I did try to engage senior leadership to get their feedback on what I was going to say.
“I consulted with the Jewish Society and the Muslim Society representatives. In the end, I published the statement in November [2023], and the backlash was intense. I started receiving frequent abuse.
“At the time it was very difficult because they were suggesting Jewish members of the community felt unsafe because of my statement. I felt there wasn’t really concern for the impact of the University’s language.
“I was treated as if I was guilty of something, which I don’t think is a particularly good way to run an investigation.”
She claims she was treated as if she had “fewer rights, as if I am less intelligent, as if I am lesser.”
“They can call it whatever they want – whether it’s because of my race or not, there is a pattern that I can see.”
The university argued Maris faled to engage with the disciplinary process. But the Rector says: “Eventually I wasn’t allowed to disagree with anything, and I wasn’t allowed to defend myself unless I did absolutely what they wanted.”
The investigation and her dismissal took nine months, rather than the 21 days set out in the institution’s guidance.
“During that time, the university continued to publicly make claims about me, saying I had called on supporters to attack the university. I had asked students to sign an open letter specifically asking for peaceful voices [to support her] with no abusive content,” Maris tells Byline Times.
“They also claimed I called Jewish students ‘weird’. I did no such thing. An individual had reached out to me saying something along the lines of ‘Why do you hate Jewish people?’, to which I responded, “I don’t hate Jewish people. Please stop messaging me weird things.” They somehow twisted that into me calling Jewish people weird.
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An appeals process saw the Chancellor eventually overturn her removal as Rector. Maris feels that management, however, “threw me under the bus.”
Commenting, Good Law Project’s Legal Director, James Douglas, said: “The utterly unjust and very public removal of Stella from her role was a brazen attempt to stifle her right to free speech and make an example of her.
“The university should be taken to task for its gratuitous hounding of a young, neurodiverse black woman who did the right thing and spoke against the Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza, while condemning Hamas’ terror attacks.
“Stella deserves justice and Good Law Project is very proud to be supporting her”.
University Hits Back
The university has 21 days to respond to her discrimination claim, with campus executives saying they will strongly fight it. A response is expected by next Thursday (21st August).
A spokesperson for the University of St Andrews told this newspaper: “An independent review, carried out by one of Scotland’s leading lawyers, found that the Rector’s activities were in breach of her obligations as a member of Court and as a charity trustee.
“The claim that the Rector was dismissed for expressing her views on Gaza and Israel is false, and Ms Maris has always been fully aware of this. The University has consistently defended the Rector’s right to freedom of speech.
“The Rector was discharged for her actions and activities after she issued her statement, and because she repeatedly refused to accept that, as a member of University Court, she was bound by the same responsibilities and rules as all trustees.
“Throughout this process, the University has provided the Rector with ongoing support and publicly called out the racist abuse she suffered. The Rector’s court case alleges discrimination on grounds of disability, not on grounds of race.
“We will defend these latest claims robustly.”
Maris told Byline Times: “Bring it on.”
“At this point, the evidence is compelling to show that I haven’t lost once. And I have the momentum of being on the right side of history behind me.”
Got a story? Get in touch in confidence on josiah@bylinetimes.com
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