A drunken thug who slashed an Edinburgh University student in the face with a knife at a pro-Palestine protest has been jailed.
Thomas McKenzie, 37, launched a brazen attack on an Edinburgh University student on March 28.
The 37-year-old approached a group of student protesters on Edinburgh University’s George Square campus.
The confrontation quickly escalated as McKenzie shouted racial slurs whilst performing “Sieg Heil” salutes.
When students challenged McKenzie’s disturbing behaviour, he pulled a blade from his pocket and slashed Ben Law, a 25-year-old Edinburgh University undergraduate student, across the face.
McKenzie was prosecuted last Tuesday under the Hate Crime and Public Disorder Act (Scotland 2021), being sentenced to 22 months’ imprisonment.
The horrific attack left the third year philosophy and politics student with a bloody gash running from his ear to the corner of his mouth.
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Witnesses to the horrific event recalled the knifeman shouting anti-Palestine comments, labelling the protesters as “terrorists!”, and chanting “f*** Palestine!” at the crowd.
Protesters at the rally organised by Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society (EUJP) quickly reported the attack to the police.
Following this, McKenzie was swiftly arrested after being found nearby the area.
Edinburgh University ‘fails to protect student protesters’
The Edinburgh University campaigning group EUJP have accused the university of failing to protect their students, stating that camps security was negligent by allowing the attack to happen
EUJP said that security watched McKenzie with their own eyes become increasingly more aggressive and brazen, but didn’t intervene.
The group claims campus security “failed to protect” student protesters.
McKenzie was sentenced to a suspended 22-month jail sentence with a further 12 months of supervision following his release.
His lawyer stated that he had been heavily drinking before the incident and suffered through a difficult family loss the day before the incident took place.
The victim, Law, was taken to hospital where he had the slash treated with medical skin glue.
The effect of the attack on the victim
Ben Law had to resit his entire third year at university after he missed exams due to the attack and due to the mental impacts of the incident on him and his family.
“On the day he was shouting abuse at the crowd calling us “terrorists” and “Jews” and at one point he and I were face to face after he came right up to me. He was trying to instigate a confrontation and was targeting non-white protestors.”
“After some of the protestors tried to get him to leave he pulled out what I believe was a box cutter and slashed me across the face,” Law said.
Law also claims that the university security knew the man had a knife but didn’t do anything about it until he was attacked.
Sheriff Julius Komorowski described the attack as “disproportinate and wicked”, adding further that the social work report states McKenzie is “highly likely to reoffend in an analogous manner in the future.”
McKenzie also had a previous number of convictions including two offences of robbery while armed with a knife and several assaults.
Ben Law also shared that this wasn’t the first time protesters at Edinburgh University were subject to abuse for their pro-Palestine views.
“We already had aggressive people at different events, even at bake sales. We are aware that security’s inadequacy – it directly endangers the lives of staff and students,” he said.
Professor Colm Harmon, Vice Principal Students at the University of Edinburgh, said: “Safety on campus is our utmost priority and we condemn any violence in our community in the strongest terms.”
