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Students barricade Bodleian

Over eighty students barricaded themselves in the Bodleian library on Thursday to protest against Israel’s recent action in Gaza.

The demonstration started at midday in the Clarendon building, and lasted until the protesters felt their demands had been met six hours later.

Minutes after the beginning of the protest, security began to block the main entrances to the building, but demonstrators then began to enter the building by climbing through the windows.

At ten to one, police entered the building and led away Omar Alshehabi, President of the University Arabic Society, from the railings at the front of the hall.

Alshehabi was warned that the group were committing an aggravated trespass. Police requested that he inform those inside that there was a possibility they could be arrested.

On hearing the police’s message relayed, one of the protesters inside shouted to spectators that the police “can’t arrest all of us!”

Alshehabi commented that the police were simply “trying to give us a threat, they are trying to get us out as soon as possible” and maintained that the group would stay as long as necessary.

He said, “we are here and we are going to stay here, we are going to stay until our demands are met.”

After a series of negotiations between protesters and senior proctors, the Gaza supporters finally agreed to leave the Clarendon Building .

The group, composed of members of Oxford Palestinian, Indian and Pakistani Societies and others, were demanding that the University release a statement condemning the attacks in Gaza, as well as ceasing investment in any companies that provide arms to Israel.

They aimed to pressurise the University into providing scholarship for five Gazan students to study at Oxford, as well as providing resources to help rebuild the University of Gaza. They also want an end to the lecture series run from Balliol that were controversially inaugurated by Shimon Peres, the President of Israel, last term.

Aisha Mizra, one of the protesters, said, “we decided to halt the protest because we felt completely satisfied with the outcome.”
She said that the senior proctor had given satisfactory responses to all their demands.

The University has agreed to publicly condemn civilian deaths in Gaza, and hold a transparent investigation into allegations that the University holds shares in the arms dealer BAE systems.

The Proctor dismissed demands to cancel the lecture series inaugurated by Shimon Peres, saying that it was a college, not a university issue. He, however, expressed support for offering five scholarships to Gazan students who are unable to study in their own country due to the conflict.

She also said that protesters had escaped severe punishment by the University. Each student taking part in the protest would be fined £20, but no marks would be made on their academic record.

Protesters started to leave the building at 6:30, after which they marched to Balliol College and chanted outside to demonstrate their continued opposition to the Shimon Peres lecture series.

One member of staff in the Admissions Office, who found herself “in the midst of it all” once the protest began stated that the protest was “wonderful and for a good cause…the last occupation we had here was in the 1960’s.”

Within the building the Clarendon building the mood remained buoyant. A local Lebanese restaurant offered to pass food in to the protesters, while students passed around biscuits and drink.

The students in the hall formed a human chain and chanted, “in our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians. Stop the killing stop the crime: Israel out of Palestine.”

Cries of “Free, Free Palestine” were heard throughout the afternoon, whilst a member of the group shouted through a megaphone, “we are here for the Palestinians and the Israelis who have been killed. This is a peaceful demonstration.”

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