By Jacob Winter, BA Politics and International Relations
On Wednesday October 25th, The Socialist Workers Party held a small but significant demonstration against the occupation of Palestine, with the main premise being a mass student walkout. Despite a low turnout, SOAS security fenced off the entrance to the university and only allowed students to leave out of the back entrance in order to contain a predicted large-scale walkout. Not only were SOAS security present, but general University of London security from neighbouring Birkbeck remained stationed at the bollards near Paul Webley Wing.
The extreme policing of this demonstration, specifically the raising of barriers and funnelling of all students out the back entrance to avoid people joining the walkout, has raised concerns from students, specifically political organisations, on the right to continue protesting at SOAS.
Since October 7th, SOAS security has made a clear change of approach when it comes to the policing of protests at SOAS. Despite a security apparatus growing in size since the 2022 student occupation of the main building, recent concerns around security policing have been primarily raised following the October 9th Palestine demonstration.
The October 9th demonstration resulted in six suspensions, with all students still suspended almost two months later. The specific reasoning for the suspensions was over a violation of health and safety rules, but none of the suspended students have been reinstated and allowed to return to class. Following this, a series of smaller Palestine events occurred on campus, such as the October 25th walkout. Despite the claim that the Palestine Society members were suspended for violating health and safety violations, blocking a main entrance to a building when a fire alarm was pulled, fencing off the front entrance for the October 25th walkout has seemed to some students as a hypocritical decision by SOAS security.
The Socialist Workers Party has had its events obstructed by SOAS security in the past. The university had previously been reliable for the organisation when it came to booking rooms for political meetings, such as public meetings on the lockdowns in China, but following the escalation of the situation in occupied Palestine, their meetings had been cancelled. One meeting on October 11th had external Socialist Workers Party members refused entry into the building due to the wearing of the Keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn in the Middle East, but often used as a symbol of Palestinian nationalism.
On November 25th, walkouts at several universities, including KCL, UCL, LSE and SOAS, congregated at the SOAS Green to hear a range of speakers discuss the situation in Palestine. Notably absent were the barriers put up for the Socialist Workers Party walkout, and any major amount of security. Instead, officers of the Metropolitan Police were present at SOAS, and then later police vans lined every crossroads on the march’s path, with many officers awaiting the rally at its endpoint, at the Camden Council Offices near Mornington Crescent Station.
These repressive security measures have been confirmed by a document circulated amongst SOAS students, leaked from the security. The document specifically recommends provisions that the university should take to stop these protests and names students involved in recent demonstrations. Specific fears for the security and administration are the increase of graffiti in the JCR and the Student Union Bar and toilets, which is often directed towards university director Adam Habib. The document recommends expanded CCTV coverage and turnstiles at every entrance, restricting access to valid ID card-holders only.
These security and administration actions have also targeted staff, with Dr Lisa Tilley finding her posters for Palestinian solidarity being removed from her office doors. The SOAS HR team claimed that the posters were not acceptable due to ‘safeguarding.’
“the SOAS Spirit last year revealed security spending in 2022 after the occupation cost £661,632.23,”
Many have pointed to the student occupation as being the source for much of the increased security presence on SOAS, especially after the University hired private bailiffs to evict occupying students. A Freedom of Information Request made to the University by the SOAS Spirit last year revealed security spending in 2022 after the occupation cost £661,632.23, and the presence of private security on campus has hardly decreased.
Photo Caption: Security on SOAS campus in 2021 [Credit: Sam Landis]