New encampments spring up at LSE and Queen Mary as Palestine protests spread across London

Pro-Palestinian encampments have been set up at the London School of Economics (LSE) and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

LSE students occupied the university’s Marshall Building on Tuesday and set up an indoor encampment.

Meanwhile, the day before, QMUL students set up tents on a lawn at the university’s East London campus in solidarity with Palestine.

On Monday afternoon, QMUL Action for Palestine, a group that is unaffiliated with the Students’ Union, held a rally protesting the university’s stance on the situation in Israel and Palestine.

Following the demonstration, members of the protest began pitching tents and set up an encampment outside the university’s iconic Queen’s Building on Mile End Road.

The group has made several demands, including the disclosure of investments by Queen Mary University and the divestment of funds from Israeli companies and goods.

Similar demands were made at LSE, which saw a rally earlier this afternoon that protested the university’s investment portfolio and called for it to divest from certain companies tied to Israeli actions in Gaza.

Protestors then moved inside into the Marshall Building, where they pitched tents and announced an occupation of the space.

The £145m building opened in 2022 and was “the largest project in the School’s history” according to LSE’s website. It is home to the departments of finance and management among others and has several spaces for teaching and learning.

The new encampments come following similar protests at other London unis – including UCL and SOAS – as well as across the country.

While the specific demands differ between universities, the tactic of establishing encampments appears to mirror similar high-profile protests in the US in recent weeks.

An LSE spokesperson said: “On 14 May 2024, following a rally on the LSE campus, some protestors entered and occupied part of the ground floor of the LSE Marshall Building, highlighting a range of demands relating to investments.

“We will carefully consider the report submitted by the protest group and respond in due course. We will also continue to engage in a peaceful dialogue.

“Our priority continues to be the wellbeing of the LSE community. Exams, which take place in other areas of campus, are currently not affected by the protest.”

QMUL has been contacted for comment

Featured image via @QMULPalestine on X

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