The Student Spring: from Columbia to KCL
Summary: a student at King’s College London reflects on the
global student protest movement and how university administrations are
suppressing pro-Palestine protests by invoking ‘safety concerns’.
We thank Asmaa Abo Baker El-Fiky for today’s newsletter. Asmaa is an
undergraduate in the Department of History, King’s College London with
an interest in Middle East politics.
With Israel now ithe eighth month of their offensive the genocide of
Gaza unfolds more ruthlessly with each passing day. And as the war
intensifies, with it so too the suppression of student activism in
support of Palestine.
Beginning with Columbia University,
students have responded to what is now being called ‘The Student
Spring’, spreading their encampments from America, to Australia, to
Canada, to France and to Britain. These students have all encamped for
the same reasons: ethical investment policies, increased transparency,
academic freedom and support for Palestinian rights and education.
A growing similarity can easily be recognised in the response from
university administrations to the student encampments. It is a silence
about the atrocities of the IDF in Gaza and a superficial effort to
appear committed to free speech whilst in effect suppressing students
under the guise of ‘safety’ measures.
Universities have repeatedly cited safety as a reason to end the
encampments, framing the protests as a risk. LSE’s recent legal battle
regarded the students’ tents as an “intolerable fire risk”. This rhetoric only masks ongoing efforts to stifle the movement.
The arrest
of 16 students during a sit-in at the University of Oxford on 23 May
exemplifies the tensions and activism of university campuses regarding
the student encampment movement. Despite the administration's claims of
‘safety’ concerns, the protesters have emphasised their peaceful
intentions and the urgency of their cause. The administration’s use of
the term ‘safety’ to justify decisions is a piece of hypocrisy that
makes me think of the IDF and its claim that it takes “precautionary
measures” to lessen civilian casualties.
It appears that most, if not all, universities here in the UK have ethical investment policies
– over 70% of these universities have worked to implement such
policies. However, their ethical efforts mainly apply to fossil fuels
and tobacco while issues such as investments into arms manufacturers are
swept under the rug. King’s College London’s (KCL) ethical investment policy
reveals glaring inconsistencies. In March 2021, KCL divested from
fossil fuels, citing a mission to serve society and ensure a positive
future. However, this commitment does not extend anywhere close to the
ongoing humanitarian disaster and destruction of Gaza.
Speakers such as Dr. Azzam Tamimi are actively denied access to campuses according to "security concerns," whilst Islamophobic speakers and former IDF soldiers
are allowed free rein to offer events for the student cohort. It is a
double standard which has only revealed selective approaches to free
speech and safety, a bias which extends beyond university boundaries.
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