A protest took place today inside Senate House, led by the student group @bristoloccupyforpalestine. The group, which has previously occupied the Victoria Rooms and held protests inside the Executive Management Building, has now moved its occupation inside Senate House, with multiple students joining in.
By Josh McClounnan, First Year International Business Management
The protest began at approximately 12:10pm this afternoon (on Wednesday 26th March, 2025).
Despite security’s requests to leave, the group remained in Senate House for over an hour, filling the room with chants such as “Liberalisation is our mission” and “The people united will never be defeated.”
The peaceful occupation was made up of at least eight students, with many others joining later. The group urged students to boycott the University’s check-in app in solidarity with Palestine, displaying banners that stated: “Decolonisation is not a metaphor – boycott, divest, sanction.”
The group claims that the app is developed by an Israeli company, arguing that “economic relations with Israel provide the government with tax revenue used to conduct genocide in Palestine.”
They finished their occupation by chanting, “Free, free Palestine.”
Bristol Occupy for Palestine claims that the University of Bristol has “at least £92 million in partnerships with arms companies,” including BAE Systems, which “develops parts of the F-35 jet used by Israel in its occupation and genocide of Palestinians.”
As part of the protest encampment, ‘Bristol Occupy for Palestine’ has outlined six demands for the University:
- Disclose investments and partnerships
- Demilitarise the university
- Adhere to the BDS movement
- Support Palestinian liberation and reparations for the Palestinian people
- Ensure no repercussions for students or staff involved in the protest camp
- Transform the university into a 'people’s' University
The group has previously expressed their desire to meet with Professor Evelyn Welch, Vice Chancellor of the University of Bristol, to discuss their demands.
