Professor Tony Booth is an internationally renowned British Jewish educationalist and activist. Formerly a professor at Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Cambridge, he is one of the founding figures of the inclusive education movement.
Professor Booth’s most significant achievement is co-authoring the Index for Inclusion, a seminal work translated into over 40 languages. It has become the global gold standard for schools to assess and overcome barriers to learning and participation. His research extends beyond disability to how societal systems can reject all forms of exclusion. As a scholar, his dedication to dismantling oppressive institutional structures directly informs his international political activism.
In late 2009, Booth traveled to Cairo as part of an international delegation attempting to enter Gaza. Amidst the blockade, he participated in street protests and hunger strikes in Cairo to demand an end to the siege.
As a founding member and key coordinator of JVL, he has spearheaded legal and policy challenges against the expansion of “antisemitism” definitions within the UK Labour Party. He personally co-authored critiques of the IHRA definition, highlighting how it silences advocacy for Palestinian rights.
He has repeatedly visited West Bank universities (such as Birzeit University) to provide academic support and discuss how can counter educational segregation under military occupation.
He has participated in numerous direct actions in London against arms exports to Israel and remains a resolute supporter of the academic boycott, arguing that “business as usual” is unacceptable while the occupation persists.
He elaborated on his latest struggle in the article:
On Saturday the 9th of August I was arrested along with five hundred and twenty-one comrades, dear fellow protesters of all ages, for sitting on the grass in Parliament Square holding a placard saying on the visible side: “I OPPOSE GENOCIDE, I SUPPORT PALESTINE ACTION”. The protest was organised by Defend Our Juries (DoJ – see postscript). I was protesting against possibly the most foolish, pernicious piece of legislation passed in my lifetime, outlawing as a terror organisation alongside white supremacist violent racists, a non-violent direct-action group, Palestine Action, attempting to stop genocide. The appeal against proscription will be held in November. We were attempting to show up the absurdity of the proscription and gain public support to overturn it.