Gaza protest camps at UK universities wind down amid legal action

The student encampments that sprung up at UK campuses, in protest at the war in Gaza, are fading over the summer in the face of hostile university administrators and the waning of numbers and enthusiasm.

Of the 36 encampments in England, Wales and Scotland at the end of May, around a dozen are still active. At many of the remaining sites the protesters are fighting legal battles to stay, including Bristol, London and Birmingham.

On Friday the University of Nottingham became the latest institution to appeal to the courts, asking a judge in London to issue a possession order allowing it to clear an encampment of about 10 tents.

The high court will next week rule on the orders sought by Nottingham and Birmingham universities, while a county court on Friday declined a possession order sought by Bristol University in favour of further hearings later this month.

As many encampments have shut down or gone into hibernation, students protesting at the Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) campus since May said they were committed to remaining, despite the university’s court hearing to evict them scheduled for next week.

“I think it’s disgusting that they decided to take us to court before even making an effort to talk things out with us,” said a 21-year-old Palestinian student who asked not to be identified due to the continuing legal action.

“It’s very telling of this university that when students are protesting for a humanitarian cause their immediate reaction is to take us to court, rather than actually sit with us.”

Sleeping in tents on the lawn in east London has its challenges for the around 20 people in the camp, but the student said the bonds formed by those taking part and the surrounding Tower Hamlets community had made it worthwhile, with local people helping to deliver food to the site.

The protesters want QMUL to end its links to companies such as Barclays and BAE Systems. A spokesperson for the university said health and safety risks were behind its efforts to close the encampment.

“As a result of these risks, we have requested the encampment several times to disperse. They have ignored our requests. The serious nature of the health and safety risks has given us no option but to take legal action to disperse the camp,” the spokesperson said.

After the violent scenes at US campuses , UK vice-chancellors hoped that their encampments would disappear this summer when a ceasefire or peace deal was reached between Israel and Hamas.

But with the conflict in Gaza showing no sign of abating, administrators have moved to close down sites through increased security and legal action.

In Oxford an encampment opened at the university’s natural history museum in May, before a more central second encampment by the Radcliffe Camera library was established. The university quickly moved in to reclaim the original site, although the Radcliffe Camera encampment remains active.

Other universities have been more sympathetic, with Reading University agreeing to cut financial ties with Barclays in response to the protests. Prof Robert Van de Noort, Reading’s vice-chancellor, said the protesters had acted “respectfully and calmly”, and made impressive arguments.

Van de Noort said: “I have told the last few protesters how they can best make their remaining points to the right people, and that I would like them to go home now.

“I will always speak with any Reading student who wants to talk to me. You don’t need to pitch a tent. Having the right to protest is important, but there comes a point when our students should be getting on with something else. They could be out there making their case to the world, not just to me.”

The encampments have caused controversy even for university leaders who supported their presence.

At the School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas) in London, University and College Union members last week voted that they had no confidence in the school’s vice-chancellor, Prof Adam Habib, after he was accused of a “squaring up to and insulting” a student at the school’s encampment.

Habib, a Muslim, was barred from entering the United States in 2006 because the US government suspected him of “engaging in terrorist activities”. The ban was rescinded in 2010, following legal action by the American Civil Liberties Union .

A Soas spokesperson said: “We are proud that we have worked with the community to maintain an atmosphere of free expression since the Palestine solidarity encampment was set up on our campus, while upholding the rights of others to study, take exams, and come to work.”

But it added: “It is proving increasingly challenging to ensure the normal running of the university as the encampment has expanded and the majority of participants are no longer Soas students.

“We have seen a decline in the behaviour of the encampment, with members of our staff regularly targeted with abusive language and being followed around campus. We are committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure our students and staff can learn and teach in a welcoming and safe environment.”

Related: Birmingham University censoring student beliefs over Gaza camp evictions, court hears

Other universities are also concerned at non-students moving in, with Newcastle University telling protesters it aimed to start legal action after “criminal damage” spread beyond the encampment.

“What began as a peaceful student-led demonstration has become a focus for activism, attracting some individuals who are not connected with the university,” Newcastle said .

Legal threats have seen some encampments close, including at the University of Leeds where a student coalition has vowed to return in September.

A spokesperson for Leeds said the university’s leaders had listened to students’ concerns: “However, after six weeks of protest, occupation and disruption, we commenced legal proceedings to obtain a possession order. We welcome the camp’s decision to end the encampment voluntarily.”

Elsewhere, some encampments are intact but occupied by only a smattering of protesters. “There’s now more tents than students,” observed one university officer.