Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Tony Benn endorses LSE occupation as key demands are met

LSEoccupation | 18.01.2009 20:58 | University Occupations for Gaza | Education | Repression | Social Struggles | World

About 40 students have occupied a lecture theatre in the London School of Economics on Thursday 15th January. Since then, our numbers have doubled. They have six demands for the school and are in discussion with the administration now.

Students occupying a lecture theatre at the London School of Economics have announced that the University has agreed to waiver application fees from potential students from Palestine.

The university administration has also agreed to help students send money and surplus LSE computers and library books to Palestine and work towards setting up more scholarships for Palestinians.

The group has planned a day of lectures and rallies for Tuesday to put pressure on the School to issue a statement condemning the Israeli attacks on academic institutions in Gaza, divest from arms firms that supply Israel and finalise the details of its pledges.

George Galloway MP and Dan Gudelson of Jews for Justice are among those who will speak at the occupied theatre.

A spokesperson said, “We are asking for a simple statement condemning the attacks on educational institutions in Gaza. For years we have been going through official channels to demand action on Palestine, but nothing has happened – this is our last resort and we will stay in the Old Theatre until our remaining demands are met.”

The students have arranged a meeting with top LSE officials to take place on Tuesday in the occupied theatre to discuss the implementation of their demands.

40 students started the occupation in solidarity with Palestine last Thursday afternoon after LSE Director Howard Davies failed to meet any requests sent in a letter signed by 250 students and alumni immediately after the start of the Israeli offence against Gaza. The move comes after the Students’ Union voted to condemn Israel for the attacks on Gaza.

The number of occupiers has since doubled, with dozens more visiting regularly to express their solidarity. The group has received messages of support from students in universities across the world as well as academics, NGOs and politicians.

Tony Benn came to speak at the occupied lecture theatre on Friday, drawing a crowd of over 350 students. “I have seen the statement of intent that you have made and I agree with it one hundred percent.” he said, “Don't think that you're an isolated little group at the LSE. In my judgement I believe there is mass support for what you are doing from all over the world.”

The LSE is the second university after SOAS whose students have occupied a building in solidarity with Palestine. On Friday, 50 Essex students occupied one of their lecture theatres. At least three more universities are to join next week, whose identities are being kept secret.


DEMANDS AND PROGRESS:

1) The LSE should issue a statement condemning Israel’s attack on Palestinians’ right to education. Howard Davies has already agreed to issue a statement in a personal capacity condemning the humanitarian disaster.
2) The LSE must divest from BAe and other arms companies who supply the Israeli military. Unfortunately, the administration’s responses to this demand have been inconsistent.
3) Provide 5 new scholarships to Palestinians. Some progress has been made on this issue. However, in his latest response, Howard Davies has attempted to backtrack by obfuscating the matter.
4) Actively support a fundraising day. Davies has agreed to this in principle, but concrete plans are yet to emerge.
5) Send all surplus and old books and computers to educational institutions in Palestine. Howard Davies has commendably agreed to this demand. We have yet to receive written confirmation that the university will cover the costs of shipping.
6) Amnesty for all students, which has been granted. Howard Davies himself has said that we “held scrupulously” to our pledge that no damage and no disruption to lectures would happen.


NOTES TO EDITORS

1) Please view our previous press release for more information.  http://lseoccupation.blogspot.com/2009/01/press-release.html .
2) The identity of other universities who will start occupations is being kept secret. Contact us:  lseoccupation@googlemail.com
3) For more information on the SOAS occupation:  http://soassolidarity4gaza.blogspot.com/
4) For more information on the Essex occupation:  http://www.visitpalestine.asia/page.cfm/id/98207
5) For the motion on Gaza passed by the Students’ Union:  http://lseoccupation.blogspot.com/2009/01/student-union-passes-motion-condemning.html

LSEoccupation
- e-mail: lseoccupation@googlemail.com
- Homepage: http://lseoccupation.blogspot.com

Comments

Display the following comment

  1. Great, Galloway & Benn speaking! — @narchist
Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech