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Latest update on Abercromby Square protest

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A message to all University of Liverpool staff and students, from Professor Richard Black, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor:

As members of our university community who are still on campus will know, a group of pro-Palestine protestors remain on Abercromby Square. In recent weeks I, together with other senior colleagues, have held regular conversations with representatives of the encampment, to listen to their concerns and to try and progress constructive discussions about their demands, so that they feel able to end their protest. Alongside this, we have also met with representatives of our Jewish Society, and other groups of students and staff, to hear their various concerns about the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the University’s response to it, as well as about the existence of the encampment and to discuss ideas and suggestions on how the University can engage with the broader issues.

For much of the period of the encampment, there have been relatively few reports of incidents on campus.  I particularly want to thank Campus Support colleagues, who have been working each day to ensure a safe environment around the protest and minimise the disruption for everyone in our community. Those incidents that have been reported, including a number of deeply troubling reports of antisemitism, are entirely unacceptable and are being thoroughly investigated. We will always take action against any identified perpetrators.

Unfortunately, over the past week we have seen an escalation in the protests and active disruption of University business. This included the Staff Open Meeting, which was disrupted by a group of protestors from the encampment in a way that was intimidating for many of those present. In addition, we experienced significant disruption to our University Open Day on Saturday, including direct disruption of a welcome talk, and a disturbance in Abercromby Square that led to an arrest and numerous complaints about protesters’ conduct.  There have been previous incidents too, including in the Sydney Jones Library during the exam period. Each of these incidents is being investigated.

While events in Gaza are certain to continue to be a matter of discussion and debate in the coming weeks and months, including at our university, in light of the events at the weekend we have taken the decision to postpone any further meetings with protesters. In the meantime, I wanted to ensure that all members of our community are informed of our institutional position on the issues, which we believe to be reasonable and measured.

Freedom of speech

I know that there are some within our community including – but not limited to – some of our Jewish staff and students, who are deeply uncomfortable with the existence of the encampment. We have listened carefully to those concerns. However, our position is that universities are a place for debate and for freedom of speech, which may include peaceful protest – even where the views and opinions expressed are contrary to our own and uncomfortable to hear.

But let me be clear – freedom of speech is not freedom to harass, to bully or to discriminate. As I have already mentioned, it is a matter of great concern that, through both our conversations with Jewish students and our Report + Support tool, we have received reports of acts of aggression and intimidation against members of our Jewish community. This is unacceptable. We will not tolerate any antisemitism or any other form of discrimination on our campus.

IHRA definition of antisemitism

As an institution we are signed up to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and, as I have assured Jewish students and staff, this will remain the case. I have heard from representatives of the encampment that this is a cause of concern for them. Nonetheless, if we are to play our part in tackling antisemitism, which is clearly on the rise on many university campuses and in society at large, it is critical that we work to a clear definition of antisemitism that is widely accepted across the sector. As the presence of the encampment on our campus shows, application of the IHRA definition does not mean closing down free speech on Palestine or Israel.

Responsible and Transparent Investment and Research

Representatives of the encampment have challenged us on the transparency of our investment and research portfolios and suggested that we are in some way complicit in the current conflict in Gaza. Our published Ethical Investment Policy is aligned with both the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment and the United Nations Global Compact, which is clear on fundamental responsibilities in human rights, amongst other things. In particular, the policy states that we will not hold investments in companies where more than 5% of revenues come from armaments.  This policy also commits us to publishing a list of the institution’s investments on an annual basis and that list is available here. Given that we are regularly asked, I can confirm that we have no Israeli companies in our investment portfolio. Our student body is represented on the University’s Investments Committee.

We carry out important research with a wide range of partner organisations. All of our research is subject to robust ethical processes and, where partnership with external companies is involved, a robust due diligence process. As with our investment committee, students are represented in these discussions. We believe this is transparent, but during the 2024/25 academic year, a review will be undertaken of the framework and processes through which research projects are approved as ‘in the public interest’ and a report made to the Research and Impact Committee.

Scholarships and the rebuilding of universities in Gaza

We know many within our university community are concerned not only about the horrific loss of life in Gaza but also about the destruction of many universities and impact on academics and students in the region.  In this context, we have discussed with both students and staff options for us to provide scholarships for students whose studies have been interrupted, and to reach out to universities in the region to enable them to rebuild. The severity of the situation, coupled with our lack of any existing partnerships with universities in Israel or Palestine, makes this practically difficult to deliver quickly but this is not a reason for inaction.

Importantly, initiatives are now emerging that have a real prospect of delivering change on the ground.  These include the Higher Education Scholarships for Palestinians (HESPAL) scheme, run by the British Council, and an emerging scheme to coordinate UK universities’ engagement with universities in the West Bank which are playing an important role in delivering low-tech, high-impact online education to students in Gaza.  The latter is being led by the same organisation that coordinated UK universities’ engagement with Ukrainian Universities, giving us confidence that this work will be well-thought through and impactful.

We are committed to working with both of these schemes, believing that it is better to work in collaboration with other institutions than to operate alone. We will also continue to host and welcome scholars and students from universities in the region through our Humanitarian Scholarships scheme, which is open to students from Palestine and Gaza and we have received applications this year from the region.  In particular, we will seek to significantly expand these over the coming years by making it a major part of our fundraising efforts.

To sum up and as I said when I last wrote, it is inevitable that the University’s position on these issues will fail to please many in our community as views on the conflict itself are deeply divided.  But whether you are in agreement or not, I very much hope that this insight into the conversations that have taken place, and what we are able to commit to, is helpful.

Finally, can I reiterate that if you experience behaviour that goes beyond ‘free speech’ and which you consider constitutes bullying, harassment, hate crime or assault, you can and should use the University’s Report and Support tool, which we will follow up. Our Employee Assistance Programme is also available for staff seeking support.

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