September 19, 2025
Headlines

Academic Freedom, Free Speech and Palestine Solidarity

admin1774 mins

Campus Voices for Palestine Campaign

In various universities across the UK, Palestine events have been banned or curtailed, staff and students have faced disciplinary investigations and suspensions because of social-media posts criticising Israel’s genocide in Gaza, distinguished visiting scholars have had their lectures cancelled, and the wearing of a badge bearing a Palestinian flag has been outlawed in some institutions. A people, its history and its culture, is confronting gradual erasure. Campuses are threatening to become places where ‘Palestine’ is a word that cannot heard.

The campaign is designed to reverse that trend. It will hold meetings on as many UK campuses as possible to discuss the history of Palestine and its colonial settlement, the nature of Zionism as the Israeli state’s founding political ideology, and the record of Palestinian resistance to oppression, dehumanisation and dispossession.

The campaign was launched at the end of January with a meeting at UCL, hosted by the UCU branch. It was addressed by the Palestinian Ambassador, Husam Zumlot, by Michael Mansfield KC, by Ben Jamal (Director of PSC), by Kelli Rudolph (CDBU Exec.), by Patricia McManus (BRICUP), by Anne Alexander (BRISMES Campaigns), by Justine Mercer (National President UCU), and by Sophia Beach (PSC Youth and Student).

See the Zumlot, Mansfield, McManus and Alexander talks on the Campaign 1 article.

See the Jamal, Rudolph, Mercer and Beach talks on the BRICUP website from Monday 5th February.

Will you help the campaign?

  • · Will you get your school or research centre or your UCU branch to host a ‘Campus Voices for Palestine’ event at your university?
  • · Will you help financially to cover the travel and accommodation expenses for the tour, and in bringing Palestinian colleagues to the UK?
  • · Will you join the BRICUP Supporters List for information about future events, developments in Palestinian universities, and to engage in activity where possible?
  • · Will you add your name to the Academic Commitment for Palestine?

To organise a local meeting at your university: [email protected]

To join the BRICUP Supporters’ List: https://bricup.org.uk/get-involved/

To sign the Academic Commitment: https://academiccommitmentforpalestine.wordpress.com

To make a financial contribution: via JustGiving: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/campusvoices4Palestine

or by bank transfer to BRICUP:

‘Campus Voices’

Sort Code 08-92-99

Account Number 65156591

IBAN = GB20 CPBK 0892 9965 1565 91

BIC = CPBK GB22

177 thoughts on “Academic Freedom, Free Speech and Palestine Solidarity”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related News