Around 500 people joined a pro-Palestine protest starting at Manzil Way earlier this evening. The crowd marched through the city centre to Bonn Square, in front of Westgate Oxford, blocking traffic and forcing it to a standstill.
Protesters marched through Oxford, chanting and carrying banners criticising Oxford University and the UK government. One of the banners read: “Oxford University, pick a side. Justice for genocide.” Several banners also called out Prime Minister Keir Starmer and former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak specifically.
One Oxford student participating in the protest told Cherwell: “We cannot rest. Students have to get organised.” He continued to state that through tuition money and attending the University, students’ existence “comes with a level of complicity”. Another student emphasised the atmosphere at the protest was “very positive”.
A speaker from Oxford Jewish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign addressed protesters at the start of the march, saying: “Of course [we] welcome the prospect of a ceasefire, but how can we trust a ceasefire broken by Israel within hours.”
The protest was organised by the Oxford branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), a national grassroots movement working to achieve “peace, equality, and justice” in the face of “racism, occupation, and colonisation”.
Members of Oxford Action for Palestine (OA4P) were also in attendance alongside other student and national campaigns. OA4P have been advertising the protest outside the Oxford University’s Student Union Freshers’ Fair this week. Members of OA4P stood outside the entrance to Examination Schools on High Street, handing out flyers with information and encouraging people to attend.
At the protest, the organisers specifically thanked students who “came from Freshers’ Fair”. Flyers were distributed urging people to join “Palestine organising in Oxford” and to “organise in your colleges & departments”.
The protest was attended by the members of the Socialist Worker, the newspaper of the Socialist Workers Party, as well as Student Action for Refugees (STAR) Oxford. Oxford University and College Union (UCU), a trade union representing academic and academic-staff at the University, were also among protesters and carried a poster entitled “knowledge is power”.
The police were present and pulled aside a counter-protester, carrying St George’s flag, asking him to avoid provoking the pro-Palestine protesters.
The University of Oxford and Thames Valley Police have been contacted for comment.
