Students are upping their game when it comes to anti-genocide encampments on UK universities. Protests and activism over Israel’s continued war crimes in Gaza have been spreading across the country. However, much like their US counterparts, UK students are now facing attacks from Zionists – but so far, cops have remained quite… for now.
From the US to the UK via Greece and the Netherlands, students take action
As the Canary has documented, there have already been violent crackdowns around the student protests in the US. Meanwhile, protests have been erupting in Greece, too:
Breaking: Students in #Greece participate in the worldwide encampment demonstrations for #Palestine#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/yHDGvcQUMT
— Chris Avramidis (@chris_avramidis) May 13, 2024
In the Netherlands, cops are cracking down in a similar fashion to the US:
The encampment at University of Amsterdam had the riot police called on it in its first 12 hours. UvA called the police on its own students, who then razed unarmed student protestors with a bulldozer. Over a 100 protestors are now arrested.
power to the students. in our lifetime pic.twitter.com/lLkG8Veu7e— Mariya (@mariyankhan) May 7, 2024
Now, as the Canary previously reported these protests are now spreading to UK universities. Encampments have been set up in both Manchester and Sheffield – as well as Edinburgh, Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle, Goldsmiths in London, and Warwick.
For example, in Sheffield students are protesting over their university’s complicity in Israel genocide. The university’s involvement in F-35 production supplying Israel is part of a pattern of close ties with the arms industry. In 2022, a freedom of information request (FOI) revealed that Sheffield took at least £72m in investment from the arms trade over the preceding decade.
Now, these protests are spreading further.
UK universities’ encampments: spreading like wildfire
Falmouth and Exeter Students have begun their solidarity encampment – calling on students, faculty, and staff to resist the University of Exeter’s complicity in genocide:
Exeter Liberated Zone pic.twitter.com/KhG90owXL4
— Laleh Khalili 🇵🇸 (@LalehKhalili) May 14, 2024
The new group “Fal Exe Solidarity Camp” has been established on Penryn Campus, just outside the exchange.
A spokesperson for the group said:
Both universities have investments in companies which are profiting from genocide – we as students reject the use of our money being used to fund war crimes. We are calling on people to come down, join us, support us and get involved in the conversation whilst we work together to formulate our list of demands”.
Many groups at Universities across the UK have followed suit from America in taking to their campuses and joining in protest camps. As we watch a genocide continue to unfold on our screens, and the Israeli state’s aggression towards Rafah brings death and misery to Palestinian families, the call for academic institutions to cut ties with companies complicit in war crimes grows louder every day.
We will remain in our encampment until our demands our met, and continue to pressure the universities to divest from genocide.
King’s College London also saw students set up an encampment:
BREAKING: Our students at King's College London started their #encampment demanding @KingsCollegeLon to condemn Israel's war crimes in Palestine, boycott complicit Israeli academic institutions, pledge to help rebuild #Gaza's education sector & safeguard freedom of speech 🧵 1/7 pic.twitter.com/orCoTNenM0
— Prof. Hanna Kienzler 🧡 🇵🇸 (@HannaKienzler) May 13, 2024
We love to see it. New encampment at Kings College. Zionism is over I am telling you #StudentProtests #kingscollegeencampment pic.twitter.com/RijiCEjuIc
— Rachida Benamar🐝 (@ramapublishing) May 13, 2024
Queen Mary University saw similar:
Queen Mary University encampment for Gaza is go! Get down if you can and show your support ✊🏽 #FreePalestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/lOA9oIPCQk
— Shabbir Lakha (@ShabbirLakha) May 13, 2024
Over at SOAS, campaign group Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) helped make student’s encampment accessible – as the university clearly wasn’t going to do it:
I spent most of today at the @SOAS Liberated Zone for Gaza helping create a ramp to the encampment on behalf of DPAC (@Dis_PPL_Protest).
This is the only green space on campus, & student have been asking the uni to make it accessible for 3 yrs. We made it happen in 3.5 days.🇵🇸♿️ pic.twitter.com/IGmgsNd1uB
— Anna Landre ♿️ (@annalandre) May 13, 2024
Far-right and Zionists come out to play
However, in other places the far right has been on the move. Racist, far-right Turning Point claimed that locals had ‘had enough’ of the Oxford Uni encampment. However, it’s more likely the group or a similar one shipped its goons in to disrupt it:
Locals in Oxford call out supporters of the pro-Palestine university encampment, fed up with terrorist-sympathisers disrupting their city.
People have had enough. pic.twitter.com/zm7OndvV4a
— Turning Point UK 🇬🇧 (@TPointUK) May 13, 2024
This is because locals don’t all turn up in a taxi:
Last night, around 8:50pm, the Oxford encampment was attacked by six men who arrived in a taxi.
They ripped down banners, screamed at students and made threats.
Protesters did not engage and de-escalators moved local community members away from the attackers.
— Madeleine Jane (@_MadeleineJane) May 12, 2024
Moreover, someone identified two of the goons:
The attack at the @OxAct4Pal encampment yesterday was disgusting. Here are the two of the 6 culprits – https://t.co/4kyAT4a4Ee
Avi Libbert – CEO of Capri Fashion.
Marcus Olsberg of Duke Capital Limited.
The mob threatened to kill Jewish students and they got away with it!! https://t.co/bXZjV5zLFM pic.twitter.com/AySv7hjW9n
— Darshan Sanghrajka (@chiefchimpanzee) May 12, 2024
Similar has happened at University College London:
Is this genocidal language from a zionist/pro israeli towards UCL students at their Gaza encampment?
One of them this guy @aaronibs said whilst outside the encampment:
"We bring them in like cockroaches, and then we destroy the cockroaches"Late on Saturday night a group of… pic.twitter.com/AdkWWqy3uc
— Mohammad 🇵🇸 (@mohammadfff_) May 12, 2024
Cops defending Israel’s genocide
This came after cops arrested four activists on Saturday 4 May outside the student encampment at UCL. Police nicked them under terrorism laws – for holding a banner with a peace dove and bright blue sky on it:
As the Canary previously wrote of the situation in the US:
Student protests across America and around the rest of the world are not antisemitic – they’re a response to the interminable siege of Palestine.
What else are students supposed to? Sit back and watch as universities in Palestine are razed to the ground? Do nothing while the US arms Israel? Twiddle their fingers while experts predict that 10,000 Palestinians are buried in rubble that will take years to clear?
What are the police supposed to do then, you may ask?
Stay the hell away.
With UK university encampments spreading like wildfire, cops over here would do well to take that advice.
Featured image via X screengrab
