A PROTEST on Whiteknights Campus has dispersed after being asked to leave by the University of Reading.
Students at the university began staging a sit-in protest in May, urging the institution to cut ties with companies complicit with Israel’s attacks.
Protestors set up camp in Whiteknights Campus amid protests sparked across the world in solidarity with the people of Palestine, opposing Israeli offences which have been described as a genocide of innocent Palestinians.
These included encampments at universities such as Oxford, Toronto, and the Australian National University, all of whom have begun to take action against students.
Now the protest at the University of Reading is the latest to have been moved on after calls for the university to divest from companies which are complicit as well as from its support of Reichman University in Israel.
One of the protestors, Tea Southwell, said in May: “[Reichman] have publicly said that they are helping with the ‘war’ effort– we don’t think that having ties with a university like that is okay.”
While some protestors had already moved from the site, the encampment closed fully on Wednesday, July 31.
Ms Southwell said following the closure: “The university has stopped meeting with us and talking to us, and asked us to leave.
“Other universities have been successful in bringing legal action against protestors, judgements have outlined that universities need only grant a possession order.
“This means it doesn’t need to take into account the legal right to protest, so it’s too risky for individuals to continue to take part.”
“People are disheartened that we’re not being negotiated with– it absolutely doesn’t mean the end of our work, however.
“We’ll still be around Reading and around the campus; we’ll absolutely be back in September, though we won’t be staging a camp again.”
She said that the move was expected: “There are maybe five or six of more than 30 which are still going across the country, so it wasn’t unexpected.
“We are still very disappointed that there has been no real action from the university, outside of minor concessions.”
Ms Southwell also explained: “The International Court of Justice has ruled that Isreal’s occupations of the West Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal, and that we should be doing all we can to avoid supporting them.
“We shouldn’t be allowing arms investments in any capacity, whereas right now there is a clause that allows investing in certain companies as long as their revenue from arms is less than 10% of the total.
“We don’t think that fits the purpose of a university– they don’t need to be investing in arms in that way.”
A University of Reading spokesperson said: “The University has been in regular contact with students protesting at Whiteknights.
“Most protestors had already left campus several weeks ago, following positive and constructive discussions.
“The last few remaining protestors have now packed down their tents after the University asked those still on site to leave, while also reminding them of the University’s legal position.
“The Vice-Chancellor has been clear that the University of Reading welcomes discussion and debate and we are always open to dialogue with our students.”
