On Friday, January 16th Essex Uni Stop the War Society and Palestine Solidarity Campaign called for a day of action on campus grounds in Colchester, Wivenhoe Park. 200 students attended the rally which was addressed by SU president Dominic Kavakeb.
Izzat Shamroukh, a first year student from Bethlehem had collected more than 200 signatures for a letter with 5 demands to the university. The demands included that the university issue an official statement condemning the Siege on Gaza, facilitating a fundraising day for Medical Aid for Palestine, 5 scholarships for Palestinian students who can no longer study due to the fact that Gaza university was bombed on Dec. 28th, to use surplus resources like old books and computers to re-build Gaza University and that no student shall be victimised for their protest.
The march headed towards the office of Vice-Chancellor Colin Riordan to give him the letter and the signatures. However, University security closed the doors after receiving letter. The protestors had given the University administration a limit to respond to the demands of the students by 4.30. Thus, the protestors showed their anger by trying to stage a sit-in in the library and Lecture Theatre Building.
The university agreed on going into negotiations as 100 and more protestors kept on pressing for the demands to be met. The negotiations did however not bring about the desired result which let students hanging in the air. On this premise 60 students ran into the Ivor Crewe Hall where they unanimously voted for an occupation of a lecture hall.
The students are currently occupying LTB04 and are building for a weekend which is dedicated to showing solidarity with the Palestinian people and to having their demands met by Monday. Izzat Shamroukh stated:-
"We should use our position as a leading institution in the UK and Europe to help those who are facing suffering and oppression. The injustice committed reaches deeper than the siege. We are calling all students in this country and across the world to take similar actions and do whatever they can show their support for this cause."
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