Rally held in London over suspension of students protesting Gaza war

By Behlul Cetinkaya

LONDON (AA) - Students from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London staged a rally Wednesday in solidarity with university students who have been suspended for taking part in pro-Palestinian protests.

A group of students gathered at an encampment area at SOAS to protest the suspension of students from both SOAS and University College London (UCL).

Chanting pro-Palestinian slogans including "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," they criticized Adam Habib, the director of SOAS, over the decision by the university’s management to suspend eight students for taking part in pro-Palestinian rallies.

Later, the protesters marched to UCL and staged a demonstration outside the university campus, whose entrances had been closed to all but students since the beginning of the first encampment protest at the university.

Some concerned citizens also attended the protest, which was also supported by some drivers who honked their horns during the march.

Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 37,200 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 84,900 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.