PCSO called to University Careers Fair protest, as police powers expand nationally

A police community support officer was called to a pro-Palestine protest outside the University’s STEM Careers Fair on Thursday, in a month that has seen an expansion of UK police powers to deal with repeat protests.

The new powers, brought in on 5 October, were described by UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood as “restrictions and conditions” rather than a ban on protests, and will strengthen the police’s ability to target repeated protests at the same locations, such as university campuses like Warwick’s.

Police may now have the ability to command protest organisers to hold events elsewhere, if a particular location has already played host to several demonstrations.

This announcement came a day after the unprecedented mass arrests at the ‘Defend Our Juries’ rally on 4 October, in support of the activist group Palestine Action. The rally’s slogan, “Lift the Ban”, referred to the group’s status as a banned and designated terrorist group.

The naming of repeat locations as areas of greater restriction is likely to have increased impact upon on-location university protests, key outlets for student activism

Writing in The Times the day before the planned 7 October student protests, Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the government’s concerns over antisemitism at such demonstrations.

“This is not who we are as a country. It’s un-British to have so little respect for others. And that’s before some of them decide to start chanting hatred towards Jewish people all over again.”

Starmer added: “University lecturers who spout antisemitism must be barred from campuses.”

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson described the government’s decision as the “worst of all worlds”, saying that it is “undermining the fundamental right to peaceful protest” while failing to tackle the issue of antisemitism.

The naming of repeat locations as areas of greater restriction is likely to have increased impact upon on-location university protests, key outlets for student activism, which may now face greater physical restrictions.

The recent demonstrations at the University of Edinburgh – attended by hundreds of students in support of Palestine – and at the University of Strathclyde have both faced appeals by university officials to delay or cancel their events.

[University careers fairs] this month have featured rigorous bag checks upon entry, alongside the addition of a designated ‘protest zone’

An incident at the University of Warwick’s STEM Careers Fair on the morning of Thursday 23 October saw police called to the scene, where a student-led picket was protesting the presence of organisations like the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force (RAF), and Jaguar Land Rover.

In a statement to The Boar following Thursday’s events, a University spokesperson said: “This morning a small group of masked demonstrators disrupted access to today’s careers fair, preventing students, staff, and participating organisations from attending and conducting lawful business.

“It remains unclear whether any individuals who are not enrolled students were participating in the protest.

“To ensure the safety of all individuals on site and to allow for lawful activities to proceed, our police community support officer was called to help manage the situation.”

Warwick Stands With Palestine […] claimed that the protestors were forced ‘to leave or be arrested’

During a previous iteration of the Fair in October 2024, pro-Palestine activists protesting the presence of BAE Systems attempted to block access to the Rootes Building, while other more recent fairs this month have featured rigorous bag checks upon entry, alongside the addition of a designated ‘protest zone’.

Warwick Stands With Palestine (WSWP), in an Instagram statement calling for an emergency demonstration at noon in response to the police presence, claimed that the protestors were forced “to leave or be arrested”.

The Boar is not aware of any arrests having been made, despite the continuation of protests during the day. WSWP has also not publicly voiced support for Palestine Action since the organisation’s proscription as a terrorist organisation in July.

Warwick Stands With Palestine were approached for comment.