HUNDREDS of students have joined an encampment outside the University of Glasgow in protest over the institution's ties with Israel.
Around 200 students gathered on the Glasgow University campus on Monday afternoon as part of an ongoing student campaign co-ordinated by the Glasgow University Justice for Palestine Society (GUJPS), a student activist group.
New student encampment set up at Glasgow uni 🇵🇸✊ pic.twitter.com/1GnX28FRjA
— Jade (@JadeEckhaus) March 24, 2025
The society claims the university’s investments in arms companies such as BAE Systems make it complicit in war crimes, including the genocide in Palestine where Glasgow University alumnus Dima Alhaj and her six-month-old baby were killed.
On Wednesday, a group of 30 students occupied the university's Charles Wilson Building, while on Thursday, around 100 students blocked University Avenue and prevented traffic from coming through.
Meanwhile, on Friday students took over the university's Advanced Research Centre, where they called on the university to take action for the safety of students taking part in a hunger strike.
There are currently six students on hunger strike. The group claims that the university has not acknowledged the strike, including by offering any medical support, although this has been denied by the university.
Speaking at the encampment on Monday afternoon, one of the students on hunger strike said: “We are left with no choice but to continue to escalate to highlight the urgency of divestment.
“The equivalent of six nuclear bombs have been dropped on Gaza, a strip that is only 25 miles long and 15 miles wide.
“Israel has bombed every single hospital, they have bombed every single university, they have left nothing untouched.
“This is what Glasgow University invests in.”
They added: “After six days the students are feeling stronger than ever. While we hunger strike here by choice, we continue to remember the 2.2 million in Gaza that have been forced to starve through 15 months of genocide and now for the past 2 weeks since Israel terminated the so called 'ceasefire agreement' Palestinians are once again starving to death.”
A University spokesperson said: "The University of Glasgow upholds the right to freedom of expression, including the right of staff and students to engage in peaceful demonstrations.
"However, we do not tolerate activities which interfere with the rights of others to go about their business in peace.
"As an institution we stand against hate or harassment of any kind. We regularly communicate with all our staff and students about the need for tolerance towards each other, and we reiterate this call for all members of our community to be respectful to each other at all times."
