Students at the University of Leeds have occupied the iconic Parkinson building in response to university management’s unwillingness to distance itself from the Israeli state.
On 7 March, students stormed the building, the most recognisable symbol of the university, in anger at the actions of the uni with regards to the genocidal attacks in Gaza.
The university is still reeling from the scandal of its chaplain, Zechariah Deutsch, joining the IDF in November, and his propagandising on official and unofficial social media and WhatsApp groups. Deutsch returned to the UK in February and is still officially the Orthodox Jewish Chaplain.
The occupiers seek to force the university to deny him access to students; to force the university to commit to the safety of Palestinian students; and for the university to divest its interests in the state of Israel.
The marketisation of the university sector inevitably results in the university prioritising its own image. Without friendly media, the university cannot attract lucrative international students and their fees. As a result, uni management had initially locked the occupiers inside the building, with no access to food, in order to starve them out. Despite this, there have been daily demonstrations on campus in solidarity, including significant disruption to a university open day. Hopefully the occupiers can hurt the university in the only place management cares about, its wallet, and so bring about the change they are striving for.
Anthony Bracuti, Uni of Leeds Socialist Students
Leeds Socialist Students 