Students march through Oxford Road to the University of Manchester for Palestine
- Students marched from Hulme to UOM's Whitworth building
- The march slowed traffic along Oxford Road
- Speeches were given criticising UoM's links to Israel
University, college and high school students gathered yesterday to protest against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Starting at 4pm on the corner of Old Birley street outside Asda in Hulme, protesters rehearsed chants as passing cars honked and cheered in solidarity.
The crowd, though numbering less than 100 people, was extremely vocal, chanting “no more hiding, no more fear, genocide is crystal clear” and “I believe that we will win” while waving Palestinain flags, holding plackards and wearing keffiyehs.
The protest then made its way across the parkway, past the Amhadiyya Muslim Association, and through Whitworth park, before occupying the street on Oxford Road, slowing traffic as they marched.
The protest then came to a stop outside the University of Manchester’s Whitworth building where activists made speeches.
The chair of the Boycott Divestment Sanctions Campaign spoke to the crowd about UoM’s exchange programme with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in occupied east Jerusalem, where Israeli officers study in full uniform while carrying firearms.
He said: “This is the kind of institution that the University of Manchester says is ‘highly reputable’.”
Protesters give a speach about a university of manchester exchange programme to an Israeli university on occupied land #FreePalestine #manchester #uom pic.twitter.com/uLvOajj9rE
— The Northern Quota (@northernquota) June 16, 2021
Another speaker spoke of the fatigue of constant protest, and thanked attendees for coming and spreading the word.
The organisers for MCR_stands, who wish to remain anonymous, said in a statement: “Even though the protest was little we’re still happy because the people who are coming we know that they care, and hopefully people will not stop caring.
“The thing is whenever a ceasefire has been called in the past people think it’s over. The main public still believe that this is a conflict in the Middle-East, which is so far from the reality.
“This is apartheid.
“If you stop, who will fight for them? All the people here can march without being faced by bullets …. don’t let this die out, don’t silence yourself.”
Police presence was virtually non-existent at the march, with only one service vehicle caught in the slowed traffic on Oxford Road.