{"id":28346,"date":"2024-07-29T15:05:59","date_gmt":"2024-07-29T13:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humanrightscareers.com\/?p=28346"},"modified":"2024-07-29T15:06:32","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T13:06:32","slug":"academia-in-times-of-genocide-why-are-students-across-the-world-protesting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humanrightscareers.com\/issues\/academia-in-times-of-genocide-why-are-students-across-the-world-protesting\/","title":{"rendered":"Academia in Times of Genocide: Why are Students Across the World Protesting?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Protest encampments have sprung up<\/a> at university campuses around the world in recent months, calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine and atrocities committed in Gaza. The protests have been sparked by the events following the attack on October 7th, 2023, which led to a severe military response from Israel. This response has been described by many human rights experts and organisations, such as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, as genocidal<\/a> due to the extensive civilian casualties and humanitarian crisis it has caused in Gaza. In this article, we would like to explain further the reasons behind the protests and what are the aims, as well as share a more detailed journey of the London School of Economics (LSE) solidarity encampment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why Are the Students Protesting? The Reasons Behind the Protests<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The student protests in the spring of 2024 have sparked over the indirect involvement and complicity of universities in the genocide in Palestine. This wave of activism is driven by a sense of injustice and a demand for accountability from educational institutions that are supporting the violence through financial investments, partnerships, and their deafening silence.<\/p>\n

#1 Investments in the Military Industrial Complex<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Many universities have significant investments<\/a> in companies and industries complicit in the ongoing conflict. These include financial institutions, arms manufacturers and corporations that supply weapons and technology used in conflict. Students argue<\/a> that their tuition fees and donations should not fund violence and oppression<\/a>. They demand transparency and ethical considerations in the financial dealings of their institutions.<\/p>\n

#2 Moral Complicity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Students believe that universities have a moral responsibility to stand against human rights violations. Academia should not only educate but also embody the principles of justice, equality, and human rights. This is why silence in response to such gross injustice is seen as unacceptable, particularly when in case of other global conflicts and crises, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Western universities did not hesitate to speak up<\/a> and show their support and solidarity with Ukrainians<\/a>.<\/p>\n

#3 Solidarity and Awareness<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The protests and encampments also have the goal of raising awareness and showing solidarity with the victims of the conflict. Students encamping at universities see their actions as part of a global movement to bring attention to the atrocities and to push for a peaceful resolution, similar to student movements in the past, such as the one protesting the war in Vietnam<\/a> or the apartheid in South Africa<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What Are the Objectives of Student Protests?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The primary goal of most student protests is the divestment of universities from supporting Israel\u2019s military actions, however, in each campus the particular aims differ slightly. For example, the solidarity movement at the London School of Economics has outlined its ten demands<\/a> as follows:<\/p>\n

#1 Divest<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The university should immediately divest from all companies that are complicit in crimes against the Palestinian people, arms manufacturing, fossil fuel production, and the financing of such activities. This includes making public commitments, releasing information on mutual funds, and dropping certain investment portfolio managers.<\/p>\n

#2 Disaffiliate<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This demand calls for severing academic and cultural ties with institutions and individuals complicit in crimes against the Palestinian people. This includes banning speaking opportunities for certain representatives, excluding certain companies from careers fairs, and ending research partnerships with complicit firms.<\/p>\n

#3 Drop the Silence<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This demand calls for the university to release a public statement expressing solidarity with Palestinian liberation, calling for a ceasefire, condemning educational restrictions in Gaza, demanding an arms embargo, and revoking the IHRA definition of antisemitism<\/a> which conflates antisemitism with anti-Zionism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

#4 Designate<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The university is requested to provide scholarships and funding for Palestinian students, extend the Scholars at Risk<\/a> scheme, offer mental health support, and provide visa support for Palestinian students, similarly as it has to be done towards Ukrainian students.<\/p>\n

#5 Dedicate<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Finances and logistical support should be allocated for rebuilding Gazan universities and the education system on Palestinian terms, creating a fund and working group to support Palestinian scholarship.<\/p>\n

#6 Disengage<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The UK Government’s Prevent framework<\/a> due to its prejudices<\/a>, should be disengaged from. The university should implement cultural awareness and anti-bias training, and reform the Risk Spotters group<\/a> to protect students’ rights to free speech and prevent Islamophobia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

#7 Disavow<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The university is also faced with the demand to disassociate LSE from Paul Marshall<\/a> and his financial contributions, rename the Marshall Building for Marshall Bloom, who led the UK\u2019s first student occupation<\/a> against Rhodesian apartheid in 1967 and abolish the Marshall Institute due to Paul Marshal\u2019s shocking views and controversial associations.<\/p>\n

#8 Denounce<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The student encampment has also asked for LSE to publicly denounce former LSE Vice Chancellor Minouche Shafik for her repressive tactics against student protests<\/a>. Additionally, the LSE is requested to apologise for past incidents<\/a> of harassment and discrimination<\/a> and condemn actions that endanger students’ wellbeing.<\/p>\n

#9 Democratise<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The entire student and staff body should be involved in investment decision-making processes, ensuring transparency and accountability in the university’s institutional functioning and investments.<\/p>\n

#10 Defend<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The encampment demands amnesty for all involved in peaceful pro-Palestinian activism, as well as for the university to protect the job security and well-being of university staff, and ensure that security staff do not violate students’ rights to protest.<\/p>\n

Student Protest Journey at LSE<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As a student at the LSE, I have found myself at the heart of the action on May 14th, the eve of the 76th Nakba<\/a> anniversary. This day marked the beginning of our encampment in solidarity with Palestine<\/a>. After a protest on campus, we have moved into the ground floor of the LSE Marshall Bloom Building (formerly the Marshall Building), with a central demand<\/a> of divestment from the universities \u00a389 million worth of investments in crimes Against the Palestinian people, the arms trade, fossil fuels, and the financing of such egregious activities.<\/p>\n

Contrary to the assertions of LSE’s Senior Management Committee (SMC), the encampment did not emerge spontaneously. It was the culmination of outrage and long-term campaigns following months of witnessing atrocities inflicted on the Gaza population. The occupation represented a strategic and organised response to these events.<\/p>\n

Students spent months researching and producing a comprehensive 116-page report \u201cAssets in Apartheid: LSE\u2019s Complicity in Genocide of the Palestinian People, Arms Trade, and Climate Breakdown<\/a>\u201d which provided a breakdown of LSE\u2019s investment in companies involved in crimes against the Palestinian people. Several LSE student societies have endorsed the report, the LSE UCU branch, and external organisations like the Campaign Against Arms Trade. Peter Frankental, Amnesty International UK\u2019s Economic Affairs Director, stated<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“This report provides a vital wake-up call to LSE to urgently improve the stewardship of its investments, ensuring it\u2019s no longer profiting from corporate activities linked to serious human rights violations and the devastation caused by the climate crisis. With growing calls for universities around the world to clean up their investment portfolios – not least in relation to mounting evidence of war crimes by the Israeli authorities and their racist system of apartheid against the Palestinian people – this report couldn\u2019t have come at a more important time.”<\/p>\n

The encampment has received overwhelming support from students, alumni and staff at LSE, as well as from the broader London and international community.<\/p>\n

Challenges and University Response<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Despite initially meeting with student representatives, the SMC has refused<\/a> to engage in good-faith negotiations. They have used safety and security concerns<\/a> as bargaining chips, undermining the students’ well-being. The management has also made unfounded accusations about bullying and discriminatory behaviour by students, which the occupiers deny. The conditions imposed by the university, such as locking toilets, shutting off water taps, and denying access to showers, have limited the capacity of students’ efforts.<\/p>\n

The SMC has ordered<\/a> the removal of posters and set the bounds of the camp with security tape. They have requested that Muslim prayers be kept within the encampment bounds, responding to a public prayer event. Increased securitization and surveillance around the encampment have also been noted. Instead of supporting the right of LSE students to protest and contribute to shaping the processes and integrity of their university, the university has tried to get rid of student protesters on campus, distract and divert with fire safety and increase security control and surveillance. When this failed, the LSE LSE’s School Management Committee (SMC) took the students to court<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A court ruled that LSE could dismantle the pro-Palestinian encampment on its campus, marking the first stage of the legal battle. LSE became the first British university to evict a pro-Palestine student encampment<\/a> on June 17, 2024. Other UK universities, including Queen Mary University and Birmingham University, are also pursuing court orders to evict their students. This is, however, not the end of the movement. Activists staged an eviction rally to show their compliance with the law, joined by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and activists from other camps at Queen Mary, UCL, and the School of Oriental and African Studies. Corbyn addressed<\/a> the rally, thanking the students for their \u201cpractical demonstration of solidarity\u201d and for being \u201con the right side of history.\u201d<\/p>\n

LSE Says No to Divestment Pleas<\/strong><\/h2>\n

History has looked kindly upon students and staff who protest wars and stand up for human rights. As one of the foremost social science universities in the world, LSE should be familiar with this history and summon the courage to heed its lessons. Yet, despite the efforts and dedication of the students at LSE, the university’s council, in a statement<\/a> released on July 8th, decided against divestment. This decision is not just a setback for the protesters, but a glaring example of the university’s failure to take meaningful action against investments in companies complicit in human rights abuses, fossil fuel extraction, and arms manufacturing. The LSE Council’s response, filled with platitudes about the complexity of their decisions, ignored the ethical imperatives and the pressing moral crisis at hand. Their acknowledgement of the impact of the ongoing violence in Israel and Palestine on the LSE community rings hollow when juxtaposed with their ultimate decision to maintain the status quo.<\/p>\n

The LSE Council’s statement highlighted their appreciation for the efforts of the LSE Students\u2019 Union Palestine Society and other involved parties. However, this appreciation did not translate into action. They agreed to some measures, such as:<\/p>\n