We call upon our comrades in other universities to stand in support and film a video of solidarity for School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) students condemning the high level of repression that this university has put out. With seven students suspended and threatened with expulsion, one student already expelled and two dismissed from their jobs in the Student Union, it is imperative now more than ever to call out SOAS for its hypocrisy and appalling treatment of their own students who are simply speaking up against the genocide in Gaza and standing for Palestinian Liberation.
Info for statements/videos
- Videos can be as short or long as you would like, just record your thoughts about SOAS’ complicity in the genocide and colonisation of the Palestinian people and their repressive actions towards their students fighting against this complicity
- Please be aware that your video may be posted on social media
*Please send your video to us on our instagram @soasliberatedzone or email soasliberatedzone@gmail.com !
Mention the ways in which SOAS’ extreme repression of students:
- THREE members of the SOAS Liberated Zone for Gaza are on trial and face imprisonment of up to 6 months after being brutalised by police on campus and SOAS has done nothing to help
- SOAS has expelled a student, who still facing further disciplinary sanctions, and is trying to expell six more for questioning the SOAS SU CEO Irfan Zaman about SOAS’ about their complicity in the genocide in Gaza. Two of these six are also facing two more disciplinary sanctions simply for participating in peaceful protests and criticising director Adam Habib.
- SOAS SU has dismissed two democratically elected Student Union Co-Presidents 2024/25 for their support of Palestine and criticism of university and SU management.
Political significance:
- SOAS invests over £6 million pounds in the genocide and colonisation of the Palestinian people, including in companies involved in the production of white phosphorus, used in war crimes to burn the skin of Palestinians and surveillance technologies used to racially profile Palestinians and implement apartheid in the West Bank.
- The call for institutions and governments to end their collaboration with the zionist occupation is loud and clear – students across the country are demanding an end to arms exports, financial investments and a boycott of all Israeli academic institutions.
- As a higher education institution, SOAS University has a responsibility to not only safeguard students – in which it has severely failed – but also to facilitate an open and democratic space for discussion and free expression.
- For students and university staff specifically: we cannot allow a precedent to be set that allows our universities to violently silence us when we hold them accountable for their crimes.
Calls to action:
- Email to SOAS and met police (email templates are in the soasliberatedzone instagram bio)
- Sign petition to reinstate SU officers (link in the soasliberatedzone instagram bio)
- Film a video of support for SOAS students and condemnation of SOAS’ complicity and repression and send it to soasliberatedzone instagram
We stand together in condemnation of SOAS’ complicity in the genocide and colonisation of the Palestinian people and in support of the students fighting to end this complicity!
