Court allows Sheffield University to clear Gaza protest camp

A university has been given legal powers to evict a pro-Palestinian camp from its campus.

Activists set up outside the University of Sheffield’s student union in May to protest what it said was the university’s “complicity” in the Israel-Gaza war because of its links to arms firms.

The university said it had asked the protesters to leave several times due to health and safety concerns and disruption to staff and students.

A possession order was issued by a judge at Sheffield County Court on Friday.

The hearing was told that the group, called the Sheffield Campus Coalition for Palestine (SCCP), did not have permission for the camp and had trespassed.

The university said it had allowed the camp to remain “in the interests of free speech” but said health and safety requests had been “largely ignored”.

It added that there were also disruptions to university events and damage to buildings on the site, along with “misleading AI-generated audio and images”.

The SCCP said their camp, which was established on May 1, was a “place of inspiration, growth, love and safety” for those “torn apart” by the Israel-Gaza war that followed Hamas’ attack on Israel in October.

In this attack, approximately 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were kidnapped and taken hostage in Gaza.

Israel subsequently launched airstrikes and then a sustained ground offensive.

More than 39,170 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The SCCP said that since the camp was established on the University of Sheffield campus, it had been a central hub for activism and had hosted protests, sit-ins, workshops, religious observances and community meals.

As part of their protest, the SCCP called on the university to sever ties with arms manufacturers and boycott Israeli companies and institutions.

The SCCP accused the university of “prioritizing its profits over basic morality” and said it did not acknowledge their demands or agree to a meeting.

On Friday, Judge Mark Gargan gave the university the right to regain control of the campus land, saying there were no less intrusive measures to clean up the camp.

He added that there was no evidence to show that the university was motivated by the religious beliefs of the protesters.

After the hearing concluded, a University of Sheffield spokesman said: “The camp has been outside the Students’ Union building since May 1 and is raising a number of health and safety concerns as well as causing ongoing disruption at the university. activities and our community.

“As a result, we sought to obtain a possession order. It was granted today (Friday) and requires the protesters to close the camp.”

This is not the first time a court has issued detention orders in connection with protest camps.

The SCCP said it was “disheartened” by the outcome of the hearing, but said members remained “unwavering in their commitment to raising awareness and campaigning for the liberation of Palestinians”.

One member said: “The university’s decision to evict us does not erase the 87 days we spent in this space organizing together, eating together and learning from each other.

“It made me proud to witness the dedication of students, staying up night after night, tirelessly organizing events on behalf of SCCP and doing everything possible to make the wider community feel welcome and included.”

The university took legal action against “persons unknown” because it could not identify the protesters.

The SCCP said the members’ decision not to defend themselves in court was based on fears that named defendants would face high legal fees and “potentially severe disciplinary action”.