Arrests, successes, and a deportation: The Student Intifada July 7-12
Arrests, successes, and a deportation: The Student Intifada July 7-12
Knowledge sharing in India, a new collective in Portugal, protests against Israeli diplomacy in Czechia, and much more
We need your help documenting the global student movement for Palestine. Join us here!
India
On Sunday 7th, the All India Students Union hosted an online event entitled Students Rise Up For Palestine. This brought together representatives from Students for Palestine (Singapore), Democratic Student Federation (Pakistan), Socialist Students’ Front (Bangladesh), and All Nepal National Free Students Union (Nepal), amongst others. Each representative gave a comprehensive overview of the action taken by students in their respective countries, culminating in a call for further coordination amongst student movements in the Global South. (link, link)
United Kingdom
Over the past week, students at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) have faced violence, police aggression, arrests, and the threat of expulsion against a student. On Wednesday 10th, two self-declared members of the IOF attacked the camp, before returning with MET police officers who proceeded to arrest seven protesters, all students of colour, including a Buddhist monk who was meditating at the time. In addition to this, one student organiser faces the threat of explusion over his continued and vocal support of the Palestinian cause. (link, link)
On Monday 8th, University of Oxford students picketed the University’s administrative offices. Security staff physically harassed and pushed students for two hours at the side entrance, despite unrestricted access at the front of the building. This action was the morning after they were forced to decamp from their Radcliffe Camera encampment. (link)
Multiple UK universities decamped this week, forcibly or voluntarily, to focus on other forms of action. Students ended their encampments at the Universities of Oxford, Liverpool, Lincoln, Birmingham, Bristol, Nottingham, and the Queen Mary University of London.
Germany
During Alumni Day on Friday 5th, students at Freiburg University faced racism and police violence. A student asked an alumni panel about supporting students facing hardships, such as the genocide in Gaza or the war in Lebanon, and questioned the use of university research for military purposes. In response, the participants began shouting fascist slurs such as ‘go back to your own country’ and ‘there are no innocent Palestinians’. The Rector silenced the student and others wearing keffiyehs, and called the police on them. Students stated:
This series of events highlights not only the importance and urgency of talking about Palestine, but also highlights the university’s tolerance of fascism on its premises! (link)
On Monday 8th, students at Hochschule Düsseldorf executed a banner drop to call for the release of Palestinian prisoners and push students to pressure their university.
On Tuesday 9th, after 19 days without a response from their University administration, students at Free University Berlin ended their encampment by occupying a lecture hall. That night, the Präsidium called the police to remove the students from the university premises. (link)
Poland
On Monday 8th, students involved in the encampment at the University of Wroclaw marched around the Old Town and under their University’s rectorate in a demonstration for Palestine.
Italy
On Tuesday 9th, at the University of Milan, Rector Elio Franzini presented a motion to maintain the University's ties with Reichman University, a private university in Israel that has strong ties to the military. This motion was put to a vote by the academic Senate, resulting in 25 votes in favour, 6 against, and 2 abstentions; the University’s complicity in genocide continues. (link)
On Thursday 11th, the students of Polytechnic University of Turin presented a documentary on the last two months of their occupation, in the Shireen Abu Akleh classroom. While their encampment has come down, their occupation of the classroom remains. Students stated:
What we have done in these months was not a mobilisation that began and ended but only the starting point for a struggle that must see us victorious, against governments, states and criminal institutions. (link)
United Arab Emirates
This week, a student at New York University Abu Dhabi wore a keffiyeh and chanted “Free Palestine!” during a university graduation ceremony. Within days, the student was taken into police custody and subsequently deported from the country. (link)
Czechia
On Thursday 11th, students across Czechia organised an emergency rally protesting the visit of Amir Ohana, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party. Organisers commented:
The parliamentary security committee wants to take inspiration from war criminals and thugs on how to murder even their own citizens with impunity. Representatives of genocidal states are not welcome here - not now, not ever. (link)
Canada
On Sunday 7th, students decamped at the University of Waterloo after the university dropped a $1.5 million lawsuit. The students successfully pressured their university to disclose all direct and indirect investments. They stated:
This decision is a strategic one – made in the service of our movement and demands to end complicity in Israel’s brutal genocide of the Palestinian people. (link)
On Wednesday 10th, McGill University hired private security firm Sirco (with the help of law enforcement) to dismantle the encampment maintained by McGill and University of Concordia.
Also on Wednesday 10th, the University of Windsor reached an agreement with their students who have been encamped since early May. The deal includes an academic boycott of Israeli institutions, renewed relationships with Palestinian universities, support and increased funding for Palestinians at the university, disclosure of direct and indirect investments, and divestment based on an expanded Responsible Investing Policy. (link)
United States
On Tuesday 9th, Harvard University walked back probations and reversed suspensions of students sanctioned for their participation in the 20-day long pro-Palestine encampment in April and May. This decision comes after consistent pressure from thousands of students, faculty, and community members outraged by the clear “Palestine exception” to free speech, manifested in unprecedented disciplinary charges on campus. (link)
Also on Tuesday, students at Columbia University revealed the university library and archives’ practice of confiscating pro-Palestine protest material and disregarding consent for archiving private property. Since public exposure of internal conversations, Columbia returned stolen material, but did not respond to organisers’ demands for accountability or apology. (link)
The University of Texas, Dallas has moved forward with scheduling “investigative meetings” in its disciplinary proceedings against students the university arrested in May at the Gaza Liberation Plaza. Students and community are demanding the administration drop the charges and investigations. (link)
Netherlands
On Tuesday 9th, students from across the Netherlands were violently evicted from their camp at the Royal Netherlands Army headquarters. They were there to protest Dutch military complicity in the genocide of Palestinians. Around 4:40 AM, military police surrounded the camp with dogs and ordered the students to leave within five minutes, even though many were still asleep. (link)
Portugal
After a meeting on Thursday 4th, students at the Instituto Universitário de Lisboa In Lisbon reported that their Rector has shown interest in a scholarship programme for students and researchers for Palestine. In order for this project to be successful, they are looking to involve more Portuguese universities into the scheme. (link)
On Thursday 11th, students at the Polytechnic Institute of Porto held their first event as a new collective for Palestine. (link)