Rally in London over suspension of students protesting against Gaza war

Students at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London held a rally on Wednesday in solidarity with university students who were excluded from classes for taking part in pro-Palestinian protests.

A group of students gathered at a SOAS camp site to protest against the suspension of students from both SOAS and University College London (UCL).

They chanted pro-Palestinian slogans such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and criticised Adam Habib, the director of SOAS, over the university’s decision to suspend eight students for taking part in pro-Palestinian rallies.

The protesters later marched to UCL and held a demonstration outside the university campus, whose entrances had been closed to all but students since the first protest camps began at the university.

Some concerned citizens also took part in the protest and some motorists supported the protest march by honking their horns.

Israel has faced international criticism for its ongoing brutal offensive on Gaza since the attack by Palestinian Hamas on October 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Since then, more than 37,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and more than 84,900 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months after the start of the Israeli war, large parts of the Gaza Strip lay in ruins and there was a crippling blockade of the supply of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide by the International Court of Justice. In its latest ruling, Israel was ordered to immediately cease its operations in the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before the May 6 invasion.