Pro-Palestinian tent camps seen at British universities as chaos erupts
Dozens of pro-Palestinian encampments are being built at universities across the country, while American campuses are paralyzed by violent clashes at encampments of students expressing solidarity with Gaza.
Newcastle University was the latest to attract crowds who pitched tents around university buildings and raised Palestinian flags in protest against the devastating war in the Levant.
Leeds students also announced plans to camp outside their student union ‘indefinitely’, occupying land opposite the building and promise until the university is, in their opinion, ‘no longer complicit in the oppression of the Palestinian people’.
In Bristol, hand-painted banners carrying rebellious messages from students were placed between tents. lobbied their university to cut ties with arms companies, calls for a ceasefire as the war continues.
Tents, banners and gazebos have also been set up in Manchester, Sheffield, Newcastle and Warwick, with protesters refusing to leave until universities meet their demands.
People gather during a protest in support of Palestinians, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at Newcastle University, in Newcastle on May 1
Protesters say they are prepared to remain at universities in the UK ‘indefinitely’ in solidarity
A protest at Newcastle University organized by pro-Palestinian supporters
Universities in Britain have organized sit-ins similar to those in the United States
Newcastle University was the latest to attract crowds who pitched tents around university buildings
Last night, Jewish community leaders urged universities to close camps amid fears Jewish students could be “harassed and excluded.”
Bristol University told The Bristol Tab that they ‘fully respect the rights of our students to protest peacefully within the law’.
The group ābristoloccupy4palestineā took part in an occupation of university buildings last month but was shut down by the university, the outlet reported.
A member of the group said they are currently “refraining from making too many demands” until they can be “worked out in a more democratic way.”
In Leeds, protesters from the Leeds Students Against Apartheid Coalition took action against what they claimed was the university’s ‘complicity in Israel’s crimes against humanity’.
āIts partnerships with arms companies and Israeli universities are especially dangerous in light of Israel’s relentless bombing campaigns in Gaza and intensifying settler violence in occupied Palestine,ā the coalition said in a statement. rack.
A banner reading “IDF off campus” was seen at the event where activists plan to organize fundraisers and know-your-rights training by the end of the week.
In February, a Jewish chaplain at the University of Leeds was forced into hiding with his young family after receiving death threats for his role as an IDF reservist.
In Sheffield, a coalition of ‘staff, students and alumni’ from both Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam universities began a similar encampment.
They said there had been a mass walkout from the lectures, with many willing to camp “indefinitely” in support of Gaza, where more than 34,000 people have been killed in Israel’s ground and air strikes since the bloody invasion of Hamas in Israel on October 7.
‘We have gazebos and picnic tables and a generator for electricity. We will stay indefinitely until the university meets our demands,ā said a student The guard.
And in Newcastle, students protested against an alleged partnership between the university and defense and security company Leonardo SpA, which claimed to be involved in the production of equipment for Israeli fighter jets.
Last October, the company opened a technology research site in the city and hosted an event attended by at least one faculty member from the university – although it was unclear to what extent the company was working directly with the institute.
Leonardo did it launch a data science partnership with the National Innovation Center for Data that was hosted at the university last summer.
Last weekend, students at Warwick University staged a sit-in protest, acknowledging neighboring demonstrations in the United States and calling on their counterparts in Britain to do more to “escalate.”
David Maguire, the vice-chancellor of the University of East Anglia (UEA), said the protests had so far been peaceful, but agreed that US-style clashes “could happen here”, as reported by The Guardian .
More camps will be set up at universities including Swansea, Edinburgh and Lancaster.
Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UK Lawyers for Israel, said: ‘Universities must take immediate legal action to remove these encampments before Jewish and other students are harassed and excluded.’
A pro-Palestinian protester (C) is beaten by counter-protesters attacking a pro-Palestinian encampment set up on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), May 1
Counter-protesters hold objects at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), May 1
A spokesperson for Jewish charity Community Security Trust said: ‘While the right to protest is important, university authorities must ensure that other students’ lectures or exams are not disrupted, and that any examples of hate speech or support for terrorism be tackled vigorously. .’
The demonstrations follow protests on US campuses, where demonstrations have turned ugly, with counter-protesters taking to the encampments with violence.
At UCLA, a masked pro-Israel group ambushed a pro-Palestinian camp, showing shocking images of figures in hoodies battering activists with batons and setting off flares.
The police had control at dawn on Wednesday. The college canceled classes in response to the attack.
Hundreds of protesters have also been arrested in Columbia during similar events, along with police officers tidy encampments and an inhabited building.