London- After more than 250 days of war on Gaza, and a month after the start of the students’ sit-in at the London University of Economics, demanding ten demands to support Gaza, including stopping investments with companies that export weapons used in the aggression against the Gaza Strip.
The university began taking strict legal measures against the students, who in turn lost on Friday a legal battle that was heading towards greater escalation, after the court issued a preliminary decision to take possession of the entire university for administration, and then dispersed the sit-in in the Marshall Building, giving the students a 24-hour period to comply with the decision.
A source told Tel Aviv Tribune Net that, “Although the trial is civil, violating the tenure decision in favor of the university and not complying with the eviction decision will expose any student who decides to protest to criminal consequences.”
Evacuation decision
The court’s decision allows the university to contact the police, enabling it to forcefully arrest those who refuse to comply with the eviction order, directly exposing them to arrest and criminal prosecution.
Tel Aviv Tribune Net reviewed some of the evidence submitted to the court regarding the students’ right to demonstrate, in addition to a number of official statements testifying in favor of the students, but the court did not discuss any of that evidence or take it into account, and was limited to discussing safety standards and real estate rights that belong to the university.
In the trial session attended by Tel Aviv Tribune Net, the defense body representing the university demanded that the students bear the costs of the lawsuit, and the court confirmed that it would be large sums of money, and the defense body insisted that the sit-in violates the university’s safety and security standards, and violates the fire systems, which puts the lives of students at risk. .
For its part, the university and its defense team refrained from responding to any of Tel Aviv Tribune Net’s inquiries, to clarify its point of view.
“Disappointment”
The court’s decision was in favor of the university’s eviction, until another hearing is scheduled at a later time, provided that the university vacates camping until the case is decided, stressing that violating this decision will expose students to serious criminal consequences.
This decision caused shock among the protesting students, and they were unable to answer whether they would comply with the court’s decision or continue the sit-in, but they and their defense team rejected these allegations.
One of the students’ defense lawyers told Tel Aviv Tribune Net that they are very disappointed, because the judge put the university’s interest above the students’ right to protest, and did not take into account the detailed evidence presented by the students and their legitimate arguments. He said, “At first their actions were accepted as reasonable by the university. The latter then sought immediate possession within days.”
The lawyer added that the judge completely failed to take into account that the students agreed to make all necessary adjustments to ensure the camp was safe and peaceful, and that they chose a place where students and staff could have healthy discussions, while other judges took a different approach to student camps.
“We are disappointed,” says the lawyer, explaining that “despite all of the university’s obligations and legislation to promote freedom of expression, it sought to deprive students of their right to peacefully protest and freely express their serious and real concerns about the ongoing conflict in Gaza.”
On this occasion, the students held a protest in front of the Royal Court of Justice in London, saying that the real estate rights that the court claimed to defend were being stolen under British laws from an entire people, who are suffering from displacement and famine and are subjected to genocide around the clock.
The students stressed that regardless of the collective decision they will take, their movement will continue, even if they are forced to disperse. There are different ways to support Gaza and Palestine, and their cause is to form an awareness that realizes that it is not possible to return to normal daily life while Gaza is under bombardment.
Unethical investments
One of the students explained to Tel Aviv Tribune Net that one of the ten main demands is binding on the university, by virtue of a national agreement it signed obligating it to comply with ethical investments exclusively, which is what the students could not understand with regard to the university’s investment in the weapons manufacturing company (BAE Systems), which they considered before the court to contribute to Children killed in Gaza.
The student pointed out that the court did not address this request, and the students issued a detailed 116-page study of the investment assets of the London University for Economic Studies in Israel, entitled “Assets in the Apartheid Regime.”
This research accuses the university of complicity in genocide, arms trade, and climate issues, but neither the court nor the university responded to the protesters’ inquiries about the morality of these investments.
The court and university decisions sparked mixed reactions in the academic community. Some student and academic bodies expressed their support for the students’ demands, stressing the importance of ethical investments, the necessity of respecting human rights in all university activities, and the necessity of ensuring freedom of demonstration and expression.