Encampment Day 14 Update

Today marks the 14th day of our encampment that was set up to hold our university accountable for its role and support of the genocide in Gaza. In this time, we have repeatedly reached out to university management, urging them to listen to their students and staff and to address our demands.

Despite our persistent efforts, KCL management has refused to engage with the camp or address our demands, remaining complicit in the oppression of Palestinians. Just last night, we witnessed horrific massacres against Palestinians seeking refuge in Rafah. Once labelled by Israel as a ‘safe zone’, it is now engulfed in fire and burnt bodies.

Management’s lack of engagement and response with the camp is unacceptable. While meetings have been scheduled with other groups, these plans were made prior to our encampment and KCL management has not engaged with the encampment at all in this time.

As KCL students and staff coalition, with the support of over 1,150 advocates from the KCL body, we remain committed to our encampment objectives until KCL adheres to the following demands:

1) Condemn Israeli war crimes in Palestine, which resulted in the murder of KCL alumnus Dr Maisara Al-Rayyes and KCH fellow Dr Adnan al-Bursh.

2) Boycott Israeli academic institutions academic institutions involved in maintaining the occupation and apartheid state.

3) Disclose and Divest from all arms companies producing weapons used for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

4) Pledge to rebuild Gaza’s education sector and establish a scholarship for Palestinian students in Dr Maisara’s name.

5) Safeguard students and staff’s right to freedom of expression and protest.

We are calling on management to recognise and address our campus presence and demands directly, as continued silence and inaction are unacceptable, particularly as we witness the genocide in Gaza worsen.

As the students and staff of this university, we expect King’s College London management to prioritise our demands and end its complicity in this genocide.