University students express solidarity with UN rapporteur at London rally

LONDON (AA) – A group of university students staged a rally Monday at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London to support Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories.

Palestine supporters gathered at the university campus for the event, organized by Jewish students as part of a demonstration against a protest by the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA).

It comes after the CAA announced that they would stage a protest at the university to say Albanese “is not welcome.”

Before the beginning of Albanese’s speech, a large group of Palestine supporters arrived at the campus with Palestinian flags and signs featuring slogans including “Free Palestine,” “Stop the genocide” and “End Israeli apartheid.”

Both protests took place with police present to prevent any skirmishes.

During the rally, the Palestine supporters chanted “No justice, no peace,” “CAA go away” and “You do not speak for us.”

In response, the pro-Israeli group shouted, “You are not Jewish.”

Jewish students supporting Palestine also spoke about the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and chanted “Stop bombing mosques, stop bombing churches, stop bombing hospitals, stop bombing babies.”

– ‘Solidarity with all oppressed peoples’ –

In a statement ahead of the protest, the SOAS Jewish Society expressed support and solidarity with Albanese, whose speech will “shed light on the brutality Palestinians face under Israeli apartheid.”

Citing the CAA’s “supposed concern” over “Jewish students’ safety” due to the speech, the group said this is “disingenuous and politically motivated.”

“We, the Jewish students at SOAS, along with our allies, see through this manipulation. We will continue to educate ourselves and each other about antisemitism and the only path to overcoming it: solidarity with all oppressed peoples,” said the statement.

Some pro-Israeli protesters were seen holding signs targeting the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) as well as Albanese.

Recently, the UN special rapporteur said that what is happening in the Gaza Strip is not a “war” but a “genocide.”

Israel has continued its war on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. Israel has killed nearly 43,400 people in Gaza and rendered the enclave almost uninhabitable.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.