Arwa Elrayess

Arwa Elrayess is the first Palestinian to be elected president of the Oxford Union, a prestigious debating society at the University of Oxford. She was voted into this leadership position late last year. Recently, Elrayess has become newsworthy due to facing a smear campaign and accusations of justifying the October 7th attacks, which she states are false and based on misquotations. Despite these challenges and falsehoods, she has affirmed her intention not to resign from her position. Her current relevance lies in her role as a prominent student leader navigating significant public scrutiny and defending herself against media misrepresentations, highlighting broader discussions around free speech and political discourse within academic institutions.