Pro-Palestinian encampment launched at Queen Mary University of London

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Students from Queen Mary University of London set up an encampment Monday in solidarity with the Gaza Strip to demand the educational institution’s full divestment from Israel and a boycott of Israel-linked companies.

Students have occupied the encampment with its many tents outside the university's central Queens' Building to demand their university disclose their investments and divest from any companies involved in Israel's “genocide" in the besieged enclave.

They were joined by concerned citizens at a rally late Monday in the area to protest Israel’s attacks and express their support for the people of Gaza.

People shouted slogans including "Stop bombing Palestine" and "Stop arming Israel" at the demonstration, where many signs and banners had been placed, one of which said "Stop bombing Israel, Hands off Rafah."

Speaking to Anadolu, Mehair, a protesting student, said they launched the encampment to join the global student movement.

"Primarily instead of making this a student issue, I think what we're really focused on is keeping the focus on Gaza," she said, noting that more than 35,000 people including 14,000 children have been killed in the besieged enclave since Israel launched its war on Oct. 7 last year.

Mehair said that while there are no universities left standing in Gaza, their university still has ties with Israeli universities.

"We are not happy with the complicity, with the way that our staff have dealt with things...We've decided that enough is enough.

​​​​​​​ "We're all taking comfort in the fact that we know that we're doing the right thing regardless. So even if we are penalized, there is still honor and standing up for what's right," she added.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed around 1,200 people.

Nearly 35,100 Palestinians have been killed and over 78,800 others injured in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in the enclave.