The vice chancellor of Durban University of Technology (DUT) in South Africa on Wednesday rejected the student council’s call to expel Jewish students who do not support the Palestinian cause.

University Vice Chancellor Professor Ahmed Bawa released a statement calling the demand “outrageous, preposterous and a deep violation of our National Constitution and every human rights principle.” He added, “No student at DUT will be discriminated against on the basis of religion, race, gender, political affiliation or sexual orientation.”

Bawa also told South Africa’s Daily News that the request was “totally unacceptable.”

The demand to expel all Jewish students, especially those who do not support the Palestinian agenda, was made by the university’s Students Representative Council and Progressive Youth Alliance.

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Natan Pollack, national chairman of the South African Union of Jewish Students, called the suggestion “deplorable.” “To discriminate against people because of their religious and political standpoint goes against freedom of speech,” Pollack said.

The Chairwoman of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, Mary Kluk, said she was “appalled” that such demands could be made at an academic institution.