Pro-Palestinian groups occupy Glasgow University Wilson building

The groups say they are holding a ‘teach-in’, hosting educational events relating to the war in the Middle Eastern country throughout the day.   

The groups are calling for the university to sever ties with arms companies and enforce an academic boycott on Israel and its supporters. 

They also want to the Wilson building to be renamed the Ahmad Manasra Building, in honour of a Palestinian man imprisoned by Israel since he was 13-years-old.  

The group are campaigning against the University's links to arms firms which supply Israel with weapons (Image: GUJPS) Ilyas Jarrar, a student involved in the protest said: “I’m here today because western institutions cannot keep profiting from the blood of my people in Palestine with immunity. 

“As students of conscience we’re here to hold this shamelessly complicit university accountable and provide an anti-colonial, liberated learning zone where students can broaden their knowledge beyond the boundaries of what this university deems “acceptable”.  

“We won’t stop until Palestinian youth like Ahmad Manasra are free and until we can live in a world without zionism.” 

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The groups say they plan to host talks from academics and students, with one lecture titled ‘Jewish Anti-Zionism and The Radical Jewish Tradition’ and a screening of the documentary ‘Jenin, Jenin’ during the day. 

Students at the University have been campaigning for it to divest from arms companies in recent years. 

The group want the Wilson building to be renamed (Image: GUJPS) Recent protests at the University led them to launch a consultation on their Socially Responsible Investment Policy (SRI) which was open to all students and staff.  

The results of the consultation showed that 70 per cent of respondents believed that the University should exclude investments in defence firms.  

However, last semester the University court voted for a new Socially Responsible Investment Policy which did not include divestment from arms companies. T 

This decision was criticised by the Student Representative Council (SRC) who are the main voice for students on campus.  

The groups say that arms firms invested in by the Universty have been involved in the manufacture of weapons for Isreal, which have been used in the war in Gaza that has cost at least 40,000 lives and led to accusations of genocide against the Palestinians.  

John Turnbull, another student involved in the protest said: “Being here today is a simple moral obligation. I find it disgusting that my university can so brazenly support perhaps the most brutal genocide of my lifetime.” 

A University spokesperson said: "The University of Glasgow upholds the right to freedom of expression, including the right of staff and students to engage in peaceful demonstrations. 

"However, we do not tolerate activities which interfere with the rights of others to go about their business in peace. 

"As an institution we stand against hate or harassment of any kind. We regularly communicate with all our staff and students about the need for tolerance towards each other, and we reiterate this call for all members of our community to be respectful to each other at all times."