Students occupy the Simon Building on University of Manchester campus

On the evening of Tuesday 25 March, students occupied the Simon Building on the University of Manchester campus.

Protestors described, in a post on social media, the occupation as “demanding [for] the University of Manchester [to] stop supporting the genocidal regime”.

They also reference the recent end of the ceasefire in Gaza as a reason for this recent action. 

In a press release sent to The Mancunion, as well as other newspapers, Manchester Leftist Action outlined their demands as:

1. Cut ties with Tel Aviv University and all Israeli institutions
2. End the partnership with BAE systems
3. Adopt an ethical research policy

They also call for students and “members of the larger Mancunian community” to attend a demonstration on Thursday 27. 

The last occupation on campus occurred on October 4, coinciding with the Times Higher Education World Academic Summit. This lasted until October 9. 

Additionally, on Wednesday 26 the Manchester Students’ Union has a ‘solidarity with Palestine’ proposal tabled at it’s Union Assembly, which typically happens three times a year.

This is part of the ongoing week of pro-Palestine action, with a social media post outlining events as part of a “Manchester Students Israeli Apartheid Week Schedule”. 

Various groups on campus are mentioned in the original Instagram post including ‘Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine’ as well as ‘Youth Front for Palestine’. It is unclear how long this occupation will last, with no clear end date given in the announcement post on social media.

A University spokesperson when contacted for comment said:

“We are aware of a student occupation in the Simon Building which began on Tuesday evening, and Campus Support and Security are in attendance”.