Students at the University of Lincoln have started an encampment on campus in support of Palestine.
The Palestine Solidarity Society put up tents in front of the Lincoln Arts Centre on Monday night to protest the conflict in Gaza and show their support for people in Palestine.
Protesters released a petition and open letter to the university that listed a series of demands for the university. Since the start of the protest on Monday, the petition has received over 750 signatures.
The camp is one of 25 protest encampments set up on university campuses all across the country in support of people in Palestine and urging universities to cut any funding from Israel-funded organisations.
Mason Groves, a student at the University of Lincoln and member of the Palestine Solidarity Society, explained why students were protesting:
“We are here because no one else is. A lot of people coming down have said they are glad we are doing something because they haven’t been able to. We present ourselves as a vanguard and a way to show students that there are people out here fighting for the halt of the genocide and fight imperialism on campus.”
In an email sent to students, the University of Lincoln’s Vice Chancellor, Neal Juster, told students “the conflict in Gaza is understandably a cause of great concern among people across our community. As previously stated, we condemn acts of violence against innocent civilians and call on all parties in the conflict to respect international law and to seek peaceful resolution.”
“We also have a legal responsibility to protect academic freedom and freedom of speech within the law. This includes respecting the right to peaceful protest. Importantly, the University has a duty to protect our students and staff from hate. We will not tolerate antisemitism, Islamophobia or any form of racial or religious discrimination, harassment or abuse targeting members of our community.”
