On Monday, demonstrators from the pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Sheffield successfully disrupted Vice Chancellor Koen Lamberts’ presentation of the institution’s Education Awards. This is the second such decisive action, following the 8 May disruption. [1]
As noted in a press release issued shortly after the action,
“At 9:00am, three delegates from the encampment gatecrashed the awards ceremony to present the camp’s demands, as well as the campaign’s Genocide and Apartheid Complicity Report, which last week revealed the full scale of the University of Sheffield’s entanglement in the arms industry.” [1]
The statement by the Sheffield Campus Coalition for Palestine (SCCP) added,
…other activists unfurled banners on the outside of the University’s iconic Firth Court building and a mass picket assembled outside.
“Picketers called on Koen Lamberts to exit the building and accede to the encampment’s demands.” [1]
Sheffield has “a direct and undeniable role” in Gaza scholasticide
In a damning indictment of the complicity in the ongoing Gaza genocide, a student member of the SCCP coalition — which is comprised of students, staff, and alumni from both the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University — said,
“Our encampment is a physical embodiment of the Palestine solidarity movement at the University of Sheffield. We have made every effort to present our concerns and our demands to the University administration, to no avail.
“There is a brutal irony in the Vice Chancellor’s presentation of these Education Awards: the University of Sheffield has played a direct and undeniable role in the scholasticide that has occurred in Gaza, where not a single university remains standing.
“As students, staff, and alumni, we stand in solidarity with students of all ages in Palestine for whom education has been entirely halted for over eight months.
“In addition to a letter, we have also presented a copy of the University of Sheffield Genocide and Apartheid Complicity Report, which succinctly outlines the extensive nature of the University’s financial and research and development role in this genocide.” [1]
Expressing a defiant stance on the continued direct action amid implicit threats from the university’s management to cease their protests, the student added,
“The University most certainly wants us to disassemble, so that their pristine reputation at open days and graduations this summer is not tarnished by recognition of their genocidal
involvement.“However, we will not be moving. We will stand strong in solidarity with the Palestinians who refuse to walk away from their homeland.
“Today we have reminded the university that there is a clear and frankly easy path for them to end our encampment: acknowledge our presence then agree to and attend a meeting with us to address our demands.
“It’s time to end the University’s complicity in the genocide of the Palestinian people.” [1]
36 live pro-Palestine encampments across British universities
Since October 2023, the Zionist state has unleashed an unprecedented level of crimes against humanity against the native Palestinians.
With latest death toll numbers from the Palestinian Ministry of Health hitting 36,654 — the overwhelming majority of whom are women and children, it must be emphasised — and those injured exceeding 83,309, the last European colony in the Middle East has no intention of ending its barbarism. [2]
That being said, the amazing numbers of young students, as well as educational and administrative staff, displaying a pro-Palestine front in British universities has been very encouraging.
Data gathered by the Association of Student Activism for Palestine (ASAP) on Sunday has shown that there are 36 active encampments in support of the Palestinian cause in the UK.
To list just a few of the institutions with ongoing encampments:
- University of York
- University of Exeter
- University of Bristol
- University of Durham
- University of Aberdeen
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Cambridge
- University of Manchester
- University of Nottingham
- University of Birmingham
- King’s College London (KCL)
- Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).
Muslim Students for Palestine campaign backing campus protests
As student-led protests in defence of the Palestinian people continue to effect change at the governance level at various institutions, a national campaign to better co-ordinate all of these individual movements has been created — the Muslim Students for Palestine (MS4P). [3]
Since its formation, the campaign has supported 17 out of 36 universities that have taken part in encampments in the UK.
Described as “a Palestine solidarity network providing support to Muslim students on campus”, the movement has developed a formidable set of resources that are available to anyone upon request.
For example, it supports with:
- Strategy
- Training and workshops
- Connection to media outlets
- Links to speakers and khatībs
- Legal support and political advice
- Messaging and policy development
- FOI requests and divestment templates
- Student Union engagement and politics. [3]
In addition, the campaign has compiled a handy list of other resources, including specific rights around protest in university settings, contact details for the Association of Muslim Lawyers, and help for those impacted by the toxic Prevent programme.
Also available are templates for use when writing to local MPs, a chronological guide explaining the history of Palestine, and an alternative to the harmful IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition of anti-Semitism. [3]
Muslim Students for Palestine Linktree
Analysis
ANALYSIS
A brutal irony
At Sheffield University, where students have been encamping for over 35 days, they have received threats of eviction, despite being evidently peaceful and abiding to safety regulations.
In an attempt to get the Vice Chancellor to have a conversation with them, they escalated their tactics and gate-crashed an awards ceremony where the VC was presenting.
Despite the students’ repeated attempts to have an open and honest dialogue with the leadership, their universities — both the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam — have instead dismissed their demands and responded with intimidation and force.
Alarming patterns of violence around the country
In Wales, at least 17 activists have been arrested in Cardiff and Swansea, including a disabled activist, a 12-year-old Palestinian girl, and her mother.
Disturbing witness accounts reveal that protestors were dragged by their arms and hair, tugged at, and pulled violently by the police. A hijabi woman was also reported to be racially profiled and arrested, despite not being amongst the protestors.
Similar harrowing accounts were given by students from Newcastle University, whose senior leadership authorised 140 police officers to brutalise and intimidate the students.
Extreme force being used by police
A medical student told CAGE international:
'I dealt with students suffering baton blows to the head, neck, and torso.
'Police tore the ligaments in the knees of one of my medic colleagues, and dragged her across the floor, before attempting to baton me as I rendered aid to an unconscious female suffering chest trauma, who was just crushed by police.
'By my count, I treated nine casualties, and my colleagues each dealt with dozens more. I witnessed students choked by officers, punched in the face repeatedly, and female students having their clothes shredded and bodies groped by officers.
'Police further threw students to the ground and brutalised them with batons.'
Take action now
Get directly involved, or support students in their pro-Palestine activism in whatever way possible.
Amplify the voices and actions of the brave students that are advocating for Gaza. And if you need it, access resources and support here.
Also read
- Israel using AI and bots to twist narratives
- Spain, Norway, and Ireland to recognise Palestine
- Biden offers three-part plan to end Gaza genocide
- Illegal settlers will never defeat native Palestinians
- US army officer resigns amid country’s support for Israel
- Slovenian support for Palestine more than noting statehood
Source: Islam21c
Notes
