Police attend Free Palestine sit-in protest following disruption
Image courtesy of Conor Walsh
At approximately 1pm on Friday 15th March, student and staff activists from the Action for Palestine group, who are holding an occupation of the Jeremy Bentham Room (JBR), were disrupted by a counter-protestor who is alleged to have verbally attacked the group, shouting and disrupting their peaceful protest.
Police later arrived at the scene, responding to a complaint concerning the use of a kite symbol on a poster which formed part of the JBR occupation. The same student who earlier disrupted the protest is believed to have made this complaint. Police officers initially showed up in small numbers, with reinforcements arriving soon after.
The occupation of the JBR by the Action for Palestine group, which started on Wednesday, has disrupted classes which normally take place in the lecture hall, with students and staff being diverted to an alternative venue. The group is protesting what they describe as UCL’s “silence and complicity” in “the ethnic cleansing and occupation of Palestine.”
The occupation of the room has included activists camping out in the JBR overnight. Students and staff involved in the occupation are determined to continue their sit-in despite this recent disruption.
Other disruptions facing the group included a counter-protester who falsely claimed to be a Pi Media journalist in order to question and interrogate activists. A Pi Media spokesperson denied any association with the individual in question and condemned their behaviour.
These events have challenged the freedom of expression of the Action for Palestine group, causing members to feel vulnerable. Once peace was restored in the South Cloisters and the counter-protester dispersed, the police left campus at approximately 2:30pm. No individuals are known to have been arrested or cautioned at this point in time.
We have contacted both the Action for Palestine group and the UCL Students’ Union for comment and are currently awaiting a response.
This story will be updated as our journalists gather more information.