On the 76th commemoration day for the mass displacement of Palestinians, pro-Palestinian students continued protests against their London university’s stance on the war in Gaza.
Since May 6, students at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), part of the University of London, have formed a protest encampment on campus.
Their demands include calling for SOAS to disclose and divest from investments in companies they allege are complicit in Israel’s occupation and the denial of Palestinian rights.
Layla, a spokesperson for the encampment, said: “We’ve been here, and we are continuing to be here until SOAS University meets our demands.”
The protest continued on the 76th commemoration day for the Nakba, or “catastrophe”, the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians caused by the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
The United Nations states that more than half of Palestine’s population was permanently displaced as a result of the war.
Nakba Day is commemorated annually on May 15.
Layla said: “This is a very symbolic day for us.
“We’re doing this for all the Palestinians who’ve been martyred, the ones who’ve been displaced, the ones that hope to one day return to their homeland.”
Layla criticised how the pro-Palestinian movement had been vilified.
She said: “This is a very inclusive space, it has always been an inclusive space for everyone.
“We all have one goal, which is to see the liberation of the Palestinian people and the land of Palestine.”
She accused institutions like SOAS of having enabled Israel’s actions in the war.
Layla said: “As students, we have to speak up and we have to use our own voices, because 40,000 people are not just collateral damage.
“The right thing to do is to speak up.”
Her figure of 40,000 people likely refers to a statement about the number of Palestinians killed, injured and missing made by Gaza’s government media office last November.
The spokesperson, quoted in The New Arab, said at least 40,000 Palestinians were killed, injured, or missing since Israel’s bombing and ground campaign on Gaza began in October.
As of May 17, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs states 35,303 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza.
Furthermore, 10,000 Palestinians missing or under rubble, and 79,261 injuries, have been reported.
Responding to the protest, a SOAS spokesperson said: “Our position as a university has always been that protest and dissent can take place at SOAS as long as it remains peaceful and does not undermine the safety and security of all within our community.
“SOAS as a university community is appalled by the loss of human life in the Israel-Gaza war and the destruction of higher education in Gaza.
“Last year, when a former SOAS student was killed by an Israeli air strike in Gaza, we issued a statement which echoes the UN call for a ceasefire.”
They added that the university’s ethical investment policy means they do not invest in companies which breach human rights or benefit from war, or in tobacco, the arms trade, and fossil fuel industries.
A list of companies SOAS invests in is available on their website.
They said SOAS is aware of calls to change who they bank with, but that SOAS’ choice of bank is constrained by practical requirements regarding credit facilities.
However, the spokesperson stated that their banking and investment practices and ethical policy are regularly reviewed, and that SOAS is committed to constant improvement.
