London (Web Desk) - A London university has become embroiled in a row with its Palestine society after a number of students were temporarily suspended following a Gaza solidarity rally.
The School of Oriental and African Studies’ (SOAS) Palestine Society claimed that it had suffered a “targeted act of political repression” by the university after some of its members who did not attend the rally also faced disciplinary warnings.
The society issued a statement on Monday, signed by members of the students’ union as well as other university societies, that said they felt a “moral imperative” to organise against “the imperialist and Zionist forces on our campus” following the disciplinary action.
Palestine Society urged students to sign a petition demanding that the university drop proceedings against those involved and to “revoke the formal warnings” given to society members.
It further accused SOAS management of “participating in the widespread efforts to suppress Palestinian solidarity”.
The university has insisted that the suspensions “pending an investigation” are being imposed on a small number of students because of their conduct during the rally and “not because they engaged in solidarity action”.
It added that some students participating in the rally, which was held on the front steps of the main building, had broken “venue protocols”.
‘Significant health and safety issue’
In a statement shared with a media outlet, SOAS said: “We regret that in this instance that despite agreeing an area for the Students’ Union Palestine Society to conduct its rally, the institution’s event and venue protocols were not followed even after multiple requests to do so.
“Additionally, during the rally, multiple fire alarms were activated across our buildings that forced us to evacuate all buildings, which created a potentially significant health and safety issue as well as the school having to cancel lectures and all SOAS activities for the rest of the day.”
SOAS added: “We wish to be clear that this suspension pending a further investigation is being imposed on a small number of students not because they engaged in solidarity action, but because they violated an agreement with the executive, supported by the Students’ Union, which disrupted our teaching, learning and wider activities and led to a significant breach of health and safety policies and procedures.”
In its statement, Palestine Society insisted that “(no) member was in any way responsible for the alarm sounding” and that the rally “sadely moved to the green space opposite the building” when an evacuation was ordered.
SOAS added that it had a responsibility to “uphold (its) role as a place of academic inquiry” and insisted that it was “not the role of a university to sanction or silence members of our community where some may be offended by their views, provided they are not violating the law or breaching our institutional policies.
“We fully support the right to peaceful protest and for members of our community to engage in solidarity action.”