BREAKING: Warwick Stands with Palestine re-establishes encampment on campus

Student activists from the Warwick Stands With Palestine (WSWP) group have this morning re-established an encampment on the Senate House lawn to demand that the University divest ties with the weapons industry.

In a statement, the group said: “Following the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and in solidarity with them, we have set up this space for peace and education – not war and genocide.”

The Boar understands that the encampment was set up at around 2am this morning (14 May), with nine tents on the lawn in front of Senate House and the Faculty of Arts building.

Palestinian flags and banners reading ‘Apartheid Off Campus, No Peace Without Liberation’ and ‘Warwick is Still Complicit’ also adorn the encampment. 

We will not rest until Warwick has divested ties to war crimes and genocide, and until Palestine is free from the river to the sea

WSWP statement

The group has called on the University to divest its ties with companies such as BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, adding on Instagram that: “We will not rest until Warwick has divested ties to war crimes and genocide, and until Palestine is free from the river to the sea.”

Activists from the student protest group also said that “students have had enough”, claiming that the University has “delayed meetings, dismissed the seriousness of our demands and washed their hands of blame, repeatedly acting in bad faith”.

Negotiations between the University and WSWP over the group’s demands collapsed in December after months of discussions between the two parties.

An email seen by The Boar revealed that the University ended talks with WSWP after a series of social media publicity stunts by the group, which the University claimed led to “the targeting, intimidation [and] harassment of staff”.

A rally to “support the Palestinian people’s ability to remain steadfast, and for the University to divest” will be held at 3pm today, alongside a series of other events including a protest art workshop, a camp open meeting, and recruitment to the encampment.

Banners reading ‘Apartheid Off Campus, No Peace Without Liberation’ are among those at the encampment. Image: Nikolai Morton / The Boar

The agreement states that the University will not “engage in research projects with companies directly associated with human rights violations”.

WSWP previously established an encampment at the University last year, becoming the first student encampment of its kind in the UK. The encampment was established on the Piazza last April, before moving to the lawn in front of Senate House.

The group stood down the encampment 60 days later on 26 June, stating that it was “in the strategic interest of our coalition to redirect our energy”. The group added days later, however, that they would be ready to employ “similar means in the future” if negotiations fell through with the University. 

The group has since continued to disrupt University events, including a University careers fair in October and the 60th birthday celebrations in January.

Following the steadfastness of our Palestinian comrades, students and staff will not stop pushing for the University to divest from companies complicit in war crimes, occupation, and genocide

WSWP statement

Pro-Palestine protests at universities across the UK have faced increasing opposition in recent months, with a High Court injunction preventing protests in parts of Cambridge’s campus, and an encampment at LSE being dismantled after losing a legal battle.

An investigation by Sky News and Liberty found that at least 28 universities have launched disciplinary action against students for involvement in pro-Palestine activism, with as many as 113 students and staff affected across the UK, as of February.

Concluding their statement today, WSWP said: “We are here to show that the students, staff and community of Warwick support Palestine wholeheartedly. Following the steadfastness of our Palestinian comrades, students and staff will not stop pushing for the University to divest from companies complicit in war crimes, occupation, and genocide.”

“We urge all of you to come to the encampment to see the many ways you can join us. Together we are stronger.”

The University was contacted for comment.