Students in the UK have occupied three universities in recent weeks to draw attention to their universities’ support for the ongoing genocide in Gaza which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. On March 8, students of the University of Bristol in South-West England occupied Victoria Rooms, an iconic university building in the centre of the city, to demand that their university call for an immediate ceasefire, sever links with arms companies and offer scholarships to displaced Palestinian students.
Earlier last week, students from the University of Leeds in Northern England occupied a central building on campus to demand that their university condemn the genocide, create safe spaces for students to protest on campus and terminate the employment of a university chaplain who has returned to campus after serving a tour of duty with the Israeli Defence Force in Gaza.
These actions follow an ongoing two-week occupation by students of Goldsmith’s University in London in support of the Palestinian people.
The occupation at Bristol University followed a march in solidarity with Palestinian women on International Women’s Day organized by the Bristol Friends of Palestine student society along with the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) and UNISON, which represent academic and non-academic staff, respectively.
According to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, UK universities collectively invest $430 million in companies which do business with Israel and are thus involved in Israel’s violations of international law against Palestinians. The University of Bristol has several technology partnerships with companies that supply arms or arms components to Israel such as Boeing, BAE systems and Thales.