King’s occupation now in progress
January 20th, 2009 | Author: Kat Lay
King’s students have occupied a lecture theatre in the Strand campus, calling for the university to revoke the honorary doctorate awarded to Shimon Peres last term.
Security now seem to be allowing students in and out of hall 2.31, but earlier refused London Student photographers access, taking their details down.
In a statement closely modelled on that of the LSE Occupation, the student activists also asked for KCL to issue a statement condemning Israel’s actions in the Gaza strip, to fund five scholarships for Palestinian students and to facilitate a cross-campus fundraising day for charity Medical Aid For Palestinians.
Their other demands include that KCL establish links with universities in Gaza, provide a list of arms trade investments and donate old books and computers to education providers in the Gaza strip.
They also ask that there be no repercussions for any students involved in the protest.
They are updating the outside world on kcloccupation.blogspot.com.
A more detailed article will be available on http://www.london-student.net/ in the near future.
11 Responses to “King’s occupation now in progress”
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Are the EDL just misunderstood?
- No, they're dangerous and have to be stopped. (72%)
- Yes. The media have just blown their true motivations out of proportion. (28%)
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Having read the demands on their website a few points came to mind.
- It should be obvious to anyone that justice is never served by unilaterally declaring someone guilty of war crimes. Innocent until proven guilty might be inconvenient but Peres has no war crimes record and as such there is no grounds for action. A more reasonable demand would be for KCL to ensure anyone holding an honorary doctorate subsequently found guilty of war crimes is stripped of the award.
- They are deluded if they think they represent the majority of King’s students. I was there today and every person I saw just walked straight past the stall outside. That is how much people at King’s really care about this issue.
- What are people in Gaza going to do with a load of old books? They are almost all in English! They could just burn them I suppose.
Pete,
I find your comment regarding the books slightly surprising. The Islamic University and universities in the West Bank have English departments. Besides, English is widely spoken among university students who I am sure will find books in their second language preferable to no books at all. This comment smacks of xenophobic ignorance – “what are the savages going to go with books anyway!”. I hope you think again.
Wow, xenophobic ignorance. That’s a big judgment to make based on a tongue-in-cheek comment about books! I was trying highlight the absurdity of sending books that only a tiny minority can read when people are struggling to survive. The conflict in Gaza isn’t about students in the West Bank, it’s about the poor guy you see on the news crying because his life has been torn apart.
And I think it’s a bit cheap that you misquoted me. I said ‘What are people in Gaza going to do with a load of old books? They are almost all in English! They could just burn them I suppose.’ That is very different from “what are the savages going to go with books anyway!” I think you should recognise that was out of line.
Pete you are living in a world of your own. All educated people are required to learn and practice their English language up to a standard level, but since universities are getting bombed in gaza those educated people would appreciate the support with English books.
And do not reply saying there is only a small percentage of educated people in Gaza because it’s not true. There is a huge amount of educated people, but only a few get a chance to show their talent.
Ahmed, do you look at the pictures of Gaza – men trying to pull bodies from rubble and children crying in front of their mothers’ graves – and think “I know what these people need: books”? Because if you do then you’re the one living in a world of your own.
Even if every person in Gaza could speak English, they are probably more concerned with the critical humanitarian crisis. And I’m pretty certain that the removal of Peres’s honorary degree will have little effect on them either.
I’m not against sending books to the Islamic University in Gaza, I just think it’s a very limited action that will benefit a small segment of a society which desperately needs important things like food and housing. Students aren’t usually the ones at the extreme end of the suffering either.
I guess I also feel that the sit-in at King’s and sending books abroad has a lot more to do with a bunch of students trying to make themselves feel better than actually helping the people of Gaza.
I’m outraged at King’s stance too…so in protest I’m going to stage an occupation in the pub.
Interesting comments. But perhaps missing the fundamental issues. The original blockade that Israel has had in place around Gaza was as far as I understand there because of the violently anti-Israel fundamental stance that HAMAS has against Israel. Part of this fundamental stance involves random missiles being fired into Israel. But the wider context is a stance from HAMAS that is so fundamentally violent and unreasonable that no reasonable person would want to negotiate with them. In terms of random missiles alone Israel is justified in its offensive. Any other state would be too. Just because you launch your missiles from and hold your bases in densely populated urban areas, including those in close proximity to children, does not prevent you from being attacked. If innocent children are killed or maimed, this is highly highly sad, for those of us not involved in the military conflict and I imagine for those involved too. But I dont think that is a war crime. If you threw a petrol bomb at me and then ran into a playground, I dont think that would stop me from coming after you. If you hid in amongst children and threw another bomb, and I shot at you, I think the blame would lay squarely on your shoulders. This kind of irrational support amongst the Kings population is part of a wider campaign that will undoubtedly not radicalise highly educated students into becoming suicide bombers. But educated students are behind a campaign that is wider – so if a poor Muslim from Somers Town happens to get stirred up by a student protest outside a Jewish union in Euston fro example, and ends up becoming radicalised, who then is to blame? Its time for educated students in the Muslim community to wise up. This is the West. We are free to be religious in whatever way we like, and to protest, unlike many many Islamic countries. We are also free to criticise faiths that we see as behaving in a hysterical fundamental way. We are free to object to women wearing head scarfs, and to fundamental Shariah law. We are free to protest against irrationality. Perhaps we English people who value our Englishness above all else should being to protest for our world, and not yours.
John, you mention that ‘we are free to be religious in whatever way way we like’. Then why would you object to women wearing headscarves or people following Shariah law? Are they not allowed to be free to practice their religion? Or is it one rule for you, and another for them.
Now to your other points. I have written another post so I feel a bit repetitive, but oh well.
Hamas’s rockets into Israel: Why do you think they fire them? Is it:
a)Because Israel has been illegally occupying Palestinian lands since 1967 (for over 40years) against UN and international law. The majority of these settlements that Hamas rockets are hitting are in fact built on PALESTINIAN land.
More UN resolutions have been passed against Israel, since its inception, than ALL of the rest of the countries of the world PUT TOGETHER! I think that says it all really.
b) The ‘ceasefire’ which was broken by Isreali soldiers of 4th November 2008. Look it up if you don’t believe me.
c) The total blockade on Gaza during the ‘ceasefire’ resulting in 400,000 civilians being without (or very little) food and water, 700,000 without fuel, especially in the cold winter months, thereby slowly strangling the life out of the population.
d) a, b and c.
You say Hamas in anti-Israel. So? Isn’t Israel anti-Hamas? Isn’t Israel anti-Palestine? Hamas only came to power in 2006. This has nothing to do with Hamas. Israel has been suppressing the Palestinans for over half a century. The same happened when Fatah were in power.
Hamas using guerilla tactics DOES NOT justify Israel killing 1000+ civilians, injuring 5000+ civilians and destroying or severely damaging 20,000+ buildings – including schools, mosques, hospitals and UN warehouses (whose location was known to the IDF and where NO missiles were fired from according to innumerable witnesses including western doctors and UN representatives). Furthermore it does not justify the use of White Phosphorous, RIDA and depleted uranium (of which there are increasing reports) in such a densely populated area.
Youre stance that ‘if innocent children got in the way then that is highly sad’ is nauseating to say the least. What if they were your children? Would you be so quick to dismiss them as unfortunate victims. Also we are not talking about a couple here, 1000′s have been killed or injured. The IDF have indiscriminately bombed and shelled Gaza, knowing that half the population is under-15. Also your analogy regarding someone throwing a petrol bomb…well why did they throw the petrol bomb? Was it because you had kicked that person out of his house, occupied it for decades, locked him and his family in the garden shed, and starved him for months? If so I think he has every right to throw that bomb.
Lol, I actually meant to comment on the protest. I have to agree with Pete here. The protest may be done with the right intentions, but I think worrying about books, computers, scholarships etc can wait. Trying to revoke the dictorate is really not much help to anyone either. The fund-raising day makes much more sense. Student will be making much better use of their time going out and trying to raise awareness, money and aid for the people suffering in Gaza as opposed to sitting in a lecture theatre. Nothing’s really going to be achieved like that.
So, now it’s over, the students are claiming victory! Did they succeed?
Demand 1: That KCL issue a formal statement condemning Israel. Failed – Universities UK statement re-issued. KCL refuses outright to condemn Israel.
Demand 2: Revoke Shimon Peres’s Honorary Doctorate. Failed – Principal ‘will write a letter’. KCL refuses outright to revoke doctorate.
Demand 3: 5 fully funded scholarships. Failed – KCL will ‘play an active role in the national initiative, encouraged by UUK, to increase scholarships for Palestinians to study in this country. This will form part of a wider increased College academic engagement with the Middle East more generally.’ Not the same thing.
Demand 4: Cross-campus fundraising day. Success. ‘We expect to work directly with the students’ union to raise funds for the humanitarian effort in a student led-initiative’.
Demand 5: Establish links with Gaza universities and other educational institutions ‘in solidarity with their plight’. Failed – KCL ‘where appropriate intend to build on existing links with Palestinian universities’, again as ‘part of a wider increased College academic engagement with the Middle East more generally’. No mention of links with non-University institutions, or of ‘solidarity’.
Demand 6: Transparent investment policy, specifically regarding arms shares. Failed. Principal is ‘happy to forward for consideration by the relevant Council committee proposals by these students advocating a policy of investment which would attempt to avoid any investment in the arms trade.’ He notes ‘the issue is far more complex than it first appears’, and makes no commitment towards rejecting arms investment.
Demand 7: That old books etc. be donated to Palestinian universities. Success? ‘We expect to work directly with the students’ union… to provide practical assistance in the shape of books and equipment, to Palestinian higher education establishments, where practical.’ The ‘where practical’ looms over this statement, but it is still a success.
Demand 8: That nothing bad happens to the students. Success.
I count three successes for the sit-in. There will be a fundraising day, and there is a commitment of sorts to send equipment over to Palestine. Also nothing nasty will happen to the students, which is a huge relief for all, because who would want to suffer for all the things that have been gained?
Oh, and as an afterthought:
Actual difference made to the life of a single Palestinian? None.
On your comment, Tom. You have misquoted what i said quite a lot but I am not going to be drawn into that. The two most blatant points are that you indicate I use the words….get in the way …..in regard the deaths of children. The other point is my reference to freedom and the rules that make islamic women wear head scarfs. I did say that in the west a person is free to practise a religion, so long as it doesnt preach hate, which is of course right; I alos said that if i see the use of religious dress on women as oppressive, i have a right to say so, and in the west, for example, I should have the right even to be offensive about religion if I choose to be, without fear of hysterical attack from a believer.
But on israel youre just not getting me. yes my comment takes a side. I am an english man, born and bread. Israel is an ally of England. I therefore align with it. In regard the history of israel you are argue that israel started it. youre welcome to your views but i think the invasion by every country around it started the violence over a century ago. israel has shown support for the idea of a palestinian state in the west bank and gaza.
I am not actually condoning israels action from a personal point of view. I just think that in militaristic terms the action that israel has taken is defensible: in pure terms of national state security. The ethics of the whole thing is a separate issue. But even if I believe that what israel has done is ethically or morally wrong does this equate to military immorality? Im not certain -possibly, probably. I dont know. In the current world situation where fundamental islam does engage in terrorism against the west, im not sure siding with israel militarily and morally is wrong. The west is sick of terrorist tactics; if in palestine/israel you argue the use of suicide bombing, rockets etc is right in certain situatiuons, where do you stop. I think personally I am wholly against clerical fundamental islamic government, and if push comes to shove, I will support an overly aggressive israeli clerical government. Im not so 100% sure I am right, dotn get me wrong. But ive been to israel, twice. its a very small country. it keeps getting attacked. if the government gives even one inch to the palestine idea, hamas/hezbollah/syria/iran does appear – in my mind – to want to take a million miles.
But thats an endless argument. your view, my view, your view my view. you say your view is moral, mine is not. So it goes on. But I went to my first university in 1987, and there were radical stduents fighting for palestine then? Where has palestine got with all its resistance? Apparently not very far. perhaps occupations, demonstrations, shoutings, claims as to who is evil, who is not, perhaps , tom, they are not the answer. perhaps Hamas would do better to just accept what is agreed on both sides, surrender, lay down its arms, stop demonising the other side, and do what india did to get its independence. Perhaps israels actions will become so demonised in the west hamas and the idea of palestine will win through with the hands of fundamentals still heavily clasped to the ak47. personally i dont think so, and i think any attitude that simply condemsn israel, protests aggressively, and makes demands, will perpetuate the situatiuon. so much so, one could almost argue that protest helps israel. hamas is reinvigoured, like the IRA afer bloody sunday. How long did the IRA fight? is Ireland united?