“We’re more determined than ever”: Warwick encampment stands firm as protesters slam University’s claim of talks as “non-existent”

As student protests for Gaza spread across universities globally this week, Warwick’s piazza has become the focal point of growing protest at home as Warwick Stands With Palestine continues its encampment, demanding action on University ties to weapons companies.

The Boar spoke to two organisers of Warwick’s encampment that has occupied the piazza since the early hours of last Friday morning.

As of 5 May, the group had raised over £4,600 as part of a fundraiser for “food and equipment” needed to sustain the encampment, including donations under the name of incoming SU President Enaya Nihal, and an anonymous donation of £500. They have committed to donating any unused funds to the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians. Elsewhere on campus, Warwick Student-Staff Solidarity Network activists disrupted offer-holder day talks condemning the university’s ties to Israel in front of prospective students and their parents.

Two masked leaders of the demonstration agreed to speak to The Boar. Characterising Friday’s rally as “incredibly successful”, Warwick Stands With Palestine organisers appeared energised by the support from the student body and wider community. “With half a day’s notice, we managed to rally almost 300 people from the student community, staff community, and the local community, people coming from Coventry, from Birmingham, people coming from all around to support us”. The Boar estimated turnout to be closer to about 150 participants at the demonstration’s peak.

“We’ve had some really good conversations with lots of Warwick societies that want to sign on to the coalition, and also just good messages with local organising groups,” the student added.

The Warwick Stands With Palestine coalition have […] called upon the University of Warwick to release a statement condemning the “never-ending livestream” of “brutality and war crimes” in Gaza

In outlining their demands to The Boar, the group sought to emphasise they were predominantly focused on the University’s ties with arms manufacturers and defence contractors”. One of the protesters established their main demand to be “the complete divestment from all companies and institutions” supporting what they saw as a “genocide in Gaza by the Israeli regime”. 

A Boar investigation in February documented the University’s numerous lucrative research partnerships and investment deals with firms involved in arms manufacturing, including BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, that have existed since the 1980s. 

The University does have an ‘Ethical Assurance’ framework, encompassing a ‘Responsible Investments Policy‘ that states investment decisions should aim to reduce the risk of ‘harmful corporate behaviours’ including ‘armament sales to military regimes’ and ‘human rights violations’. ’These commitments are supposedly monitored by the Compliance and Assurance framework. 

However, in February, an academic within the School of Engineering told The Boar: “I’m not sure the University has the same policy [in actuality] when it goes to who to take funding from”.

In particular, the encampment’s organisers highlighted the findings of teaching and academic partnerships “within WMG, within engineering […] worth millions and millions of pounds” with companies linked to arms sales to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). 

The Warwick Stands With Palestine coalition has also called upon the University of Warwick to release a statement condemning the “never-ending livestream” of “brutality and war crimes” by Israel in Gaza since Hamas’ 7 October attacks and to call for an “immediate, permanent, and unconditional” ceasefire.

The coalition’s third and fourth demands pertain to “pledging to assist the rebuilding of Gaza’s educational infrastructure,” and the “protection of free speech and the right to protest” on campus respectively.

As more universities get on board, the tide will turn

Piazza demonstrator

When challenged on whether they believed their demands were realistic, the organisers wanted to convey optimism. They highlighted the University of York’s divestment from arms companies linked to Israel following months of student protests. “I think universities are starting to take up the call […] as more universities get on board, the tide will turn.”

In a statement on their Instagram on Friday, the University of Warwick commented: “We’re aware of an ongoing demonstration in the Piazza by Warwick Stands With Palestine – a coalition of student and staff organisations. We’re speaking with the demonstration’s organisers.”

However, at the time, the organisers claimed that conversations with the University administration had been “non-existent – they decided to release a statement saying they’re in contact […] That’s not true.”

“We would love to be in contact with them, we would love to have a meeting on our demands,” another demonstrator added.

In a later Instagram post on 4 May, the group claimed that University management had refused to meet with them until the 22nd, and slammed this timeline as “completely unacceptable”.

 “Every day of delay means complicity,” the coalition’s statement read. “We demand that management meet with us immediately.”

In their statement, the University of Warwick added: “Freedom of speech is a vital component of University life. As a community, we respect the views of others, even if they are different to our own. We ask everyone in our community to treat each other with kindness and empathy.”

Despite this apparent support for freedom of speech on campus, the protesters felt sidelined by administration, and maintained their criticism of the University.

We ask everyone in our community to treat each other with kindness and empathy

Warwick University statement

Although Warwick is believed to be the first encampment for Gaza at a UK university, both students were keen to credit the efforts of other pro-Palestinian groups across the UK and globally. “Universities in London have been occupied for hundreds of days at this point,” one of the demonstrators pointed out. Similar encampments have emerged this week at institutions like Manchester, Leeds and Cambridge. The growing movement is a response to what many perceive as the wider lack of action over universities’ ties with weapons manufacturers.

The students were keen to emphasise that their stance is against ‘Zionism’, a political movement generally associated with support for the establishment of the state of Israel. The organisers vehemently rejected accusations of antisemitism and claimed to be taking a “very vigilant” approach towards discrimination within the encampment, highlighting the support they’d received from some Jewish students and affiliation of left-wing anti-zionist Jewish group Warwick Kehillah.

They also stressed their rejection of the “conflation of antisemitism with anti-Zionism,” and simultaneously their “standing against [both] antisemitism and Zionism”.

Language and symbols used in these protests far too often crosses the line into promoting hatred and violence, as has happened this weekend on campus

Warwick JSoc statement

A statement given to The Boar by Warwick Jewish Society (JSoc) nonetheless expressed significant concerns regarding some of the protesters’ rhetoric. “The recent occupation of the Piazza by demonstrators has been deeply troubling for Jewish students and others on campus. JSoc respects the right of all students to protest, march, and express support for causes they believe in. This undeniably extends to pro-Palestinian students.

“However, the language and symbols used in these protests far too often crosses the line into promoting hatred and violence, as has happened this weekend on campus. Throughout the protest on Friday, various slogans were chanted and written on signs, such as protesters calling for an ‘intifada until victory,’ a reference to periods of violent terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians.

“Jewish students on campus feel intimidated and unsafe when masked protesters chant references to terrorist attacks. This also deters prospective Jewish students, whose experience of Warwick has been dominated by these protests. The stated intention to create a Columbia-style occupation, where US protesters have called for the destruction of Tel Aviv, told Jewish students to “go back to Poland,” and openly supported Hamas’ October 7th terror attacks, is deeply concerning.

The statement concluded: “JSoc stands firmly against all forms of hatred including antisemitism and Islamophobia. We encourage all students that experience antisemitism to reach out to JSoc, as we can support you both with reporting and with signposting to specialised welfare support.”

We’re determined to do this as long as we possibly can

Piazza demonstrator

For now, when asked about the long-term outlook for the protest, the demonstrators appeared committed: “We’ve been energised in support to such a great extent that we feel able to carry on. I can’t say for how long, but we’re determined to do this as long as we possibly can.”

A Boar reporter noted Sunday that guy lines for the demonstrators’ tents, previously held in place by stacks of bricks, had now been secured with pegs driven into the piazza floor — a microcosm, perhaps, of the group’s determination to stick it out for the long-haul.

Report and Support services for students can be accessed here.

Read Warwick Stands With Palestine’s Constitution here.