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Protesters drape Palestine flag from top of Cabot Tower
Students working with local campaigners took to Cabot Tower to protest against the conflict in Gaza.
The umbrella group Bristol Palestine Alliance climbed the tower before unfurling a large Palestine flag from the top.
On ground level, two more protesters held a banner with the figure £92,890,934, which according to Demilitarise Education is the value of partnerships that the University of Bristol has with arms companies.
is needed now More than ever
Protesters chanted that the university was complicit with what they called the “genocide” in Gaza and demanded that the institution divest from Barclays, which has previously been targeted over their alleged links to arms sales.
Bristol Palestine Alliance is an umbrella group made up of over 12 individual groups
In October, Bristol Palestine Alliance were behind the Red Line March that saw a red felt cloth hundreds of feet long carried through Bristol.
The march was dedicated to 19-year-old Gaza student Shaban Al-Dalau, who according to reports was “burnt alive” when a hospital where he was being treated in was bombed.
Protests holding organisations accountable for indirect involvement in wars have been frequent in Bristol, with Barclays having been targeted on multiple occasions by protesters, most recently by Extinction Rebellion Youth.
The University of Bristol has also faced continued criticism, notably when a months-long encampment took place on Royal Fort Gardens, for which the university responded by taking legal action against the protesters.
The most recent action from Bristol Palestine Alliance is ahead of a planned day of action on Sunday.
The demonstration asking to ‘end the educide’ will also honour Dr Adnan Al-Bursh, a Palestinian orthopaedic surgeon who died in April in the Ofer Prison in the West Bank.
Bristol24/7 has asked the University of Bristol for comment about this latest protest.
In a letter to staff and students in May, vice-chancellor Evelyn Welch said: “I have received messages from and had many conversations throughout the past year with student and staff groups, some of whom have called for the University to adopt an institutional position in relation to the ongoing conflict.
“I understand this request and appreciate that many in our community feel deeplv about the situation.
“Our principles of free expression and academic freedom require us to remain impartial as an institution. Taking a position or stance on this, or any other conflict, can inhibit members of our community who want to speak their mind.
“I know this is difficult, and at times uncomfortable, especially when there are strong feelings, hopes and expectations about geopolitical issues.
“I have to stress that as a University our role is to enable staff and students to express themselves freely, not to become an advocate for one view or another.”
All photos: Simon Holliday
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