KCL Stands 4 Justice
In response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the global student solidarity movement, we as students of King's College London express our unreserved solidarity by holding our university and its complicity to account.
We have launched our encampment at King's College London and will continue our action until the university meets our 5 key Demands:
1) Condemn
King's College London must condemn Israeli war crimes in Palestine. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and Hamas operation on October 7th 2023, King's College London issued a condemnation within a week of both. Over 7 months into the current genocide, the university has not condemned any of the countless documented Israeli war crimes.
2) Boycott
King's College London must boycott all Israeli academic institutions involved in maintaining occupation, apartheid, ethnic cleansing and genocide in Palestine - King's College London has a network of partnerships with Israeli Universities directly implicated in occupation and apartheid including Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University and Ben Gurion University.
3) Divest
King's College London must divest from all corporations and arms manufacturers complicit in Israeli apartheid, genocide and scholasticide including a £785,000 investment in Newton Investment Fund, owned by BY Melon who just invested $10 miliion in Israel's main arms company Elbit Systems. KCL has over £700,000 of additional investments in companies complicit in Israeli war crimes such as Caterpillar, Barclays and Cisco systems.
4) Pledge
Israel has damaged or completely destroyed 80% of schools in Gaza and all 12 universities in a systematic obliteration of the education system in what UN experts and scholars have called "scholasticide". In November 2023, KCL alumnus Dr Maisara Alrayyes was killed, along with his family by Israeli bombardment. KCL must pledge to assist the rebuilding of Gaza's destroyed education sector, establish academic ties with Palestinian universities and expand scholarships for Palestinian students including setting up a new scholarship in the name of Dr Maisara Al-Rayyes.
5) Safeguard
King's College London must safeguard the freedom of speech for students, staff and allies engaging in protests and expressing Palestinian solidarity - King's College London must protect the academic freedom and safety of all its students, faculty and staff to dissent and protest, without fear of persecution, disciplinary action or hostility.
