Durham University has cancelled a debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after a “mob” of pro-Palestine protesters locked students inside, participants said.

The debate, titled “This house believes Palestinian leadership is the biggest barrier to peace”, was scheduled for Friday night but was called off at the last minute.

The person who cancelled the debate is understood to be Dr Shahid Mahmoud, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Durham University.

Those who were set to defend the argument were Natasha Hausdorff of UK Lawyers for Israel, investigative journalist David Collier and Lance Forman, a former Brexit Party MEP. 

Ms Hausdorff said students preparing the chamber for the debate were locked inside after a “mob” of protesters formed a human chain around the building.

Protesters were said to be banging on the windows and doors of the chamber while chanting “from the river to the sea” after forming a human chain to prevent students from leaving. 

She claimed the university declined to give police permission to take action against the demonstration despite students being trapped inside the premises for more than two and a half hours.

Ms Hausdorff told The Telegraph: “Around a dozen students were preparing the chamber for the debate then a mob formed a human chain blocking them inside.

“They were stuck inside the debate chamber for more than two and a half hours. The police took no action because the university refused to give them a mandate to take action.”

She said students were “devastated” that the debate was cancelled and that it appeared the university had taken the side of the protesters.

Ms Hausdorff said: “Students were in tears because they expected university to have their back, but they sided with the mob.

“My heart goes out to all the students affected. It’s shameful, we’ve been told it’s the diversity official.”

Students are said to have been escorted out of the premises by police. 

Mr Forman also criticised the university’s decision to call off the debate and claimed it had caved into a “fascist mob”. 

He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “The university caved in to a fascist mob and cancelled the debate last minute.

“Free speech died in Durham tonight. They’re afraid of hearing the truth.”

Mr Foreman branded the decision “disgraceful and certainly not inclusive”.

Those opposing the motion were Chris Doyle, the director of the council for Arab-British Understanding; Dr Peter Shambrook, a specialist Middle Eastern historian and Mohab Ramadan a Durham University undergraduate.

UK Lawyers for Israel posted on social media: “Durham University shut down free speech today at the Durham Union Society, home of free speech since 1842. 

“Hundreds of students hoped to attend, but the uni caved into a mob chanting for genocide.”

Professor Anthony Glees, at the university of Buckingham, said the Vice Chancellor of the university is an ardent defender of free speech and that students must have been in danger for the university to have taken the decision. 

Prof Glees told The Telegraph: “The Vice Chancellor of Durham takes a robust view of freedom of speech.

“So I suspect this debate would only have been cancelled if there was a threat of serious unrest.

“There have to be limits on freedom of speech and with all the awful things happening in Gaza at this moment in time and universities are in a very difficult decision.”

“The safety of students has to be of prime importance and they must have taken the view that students were at risk. And that of course is shocking.”

The university was contacted for comment by The Telegraph.