The report finds that students and academics have been sanctioned for actions like chanting, clapping and wearing keffiyehs. These sanctions have included suspensions, campus bans, withdrawal of degrees and threats to visa status, often causing great personal harm. Students who are visibly Muslim and those displaying symbols of Palestinian identity have been disproportionately impacted.
In several cases, sanctions were imposed before disciplinary hearings had concluded, effectively transforming precautionary measures into punishments and contributing to the chilling effect. In some cases documented in the report, universities prolonged investigations without clarifying timelines, outcomes or routes for appeal. These prolonged investigations combined with campus bans, restricted access to services, and uncertainty about potential outcomes – had severe impacts on people’s education, mental health and future prospects.
Amnesty International found that some universities have relied on overly broad disciplinary codes to restrict solidarity actions, such as by unduly characterising protests as ‘disruptive’, or ‘offensive’, with no apparent evidence of targeted harm. The report finds instances of universities treating peaceful protest as trespass, even in spaces such as campus squares, foyers and union buildings which have been used for protests for decades. Some have adopted measures that require advance approval for protests and others have resorted to court injunctions which impose blanket bans across large parts of campus, exposing students and staff to risk of fines and imprisonment for engaging in protest.
Kerry Moscogiuri, CEO of Amnesty International UK said:
“This is an attack on our freedom of speech and the right to protest from the very institutions who are supposed to encourage free thought.
“Students and academics care about the victims of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. It’s beyond belief that some of our prominent universities see this as a threat that requires punitive measures like court injunctions, and harsh punishments that leave students with their lives turned upside down.
“This is part of a wider crackdown on communities coming together to make their voices heard on Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and other issues they care about. Just as we’re seeing students facing sanctions for clapping and chanting on our campuses, we’re seeing grandparents, amongst many others, facing arrest for holding placards at the Defend Our Juries protests.
“Universities should be an environment in which students feel safe in coming together and demonstrating on the issues they care about. That’s why we are asking universities to commit to our Defend Dissent Charter.”
Source: www.amnesty.org.uk
