UK Universities Accused of ‘Silencing’ Pro-Palestinian Students and Academics

A raft of UK universities have restricted solidarity with Palestinian people amongst students and academics, including speech that could be perceived as critical of Israel, according to a new report from Amnesty International.

The Silencing Dissent report finds that universities have cancelled meetings and events, framed peaceful protest as ‘disruption’, shut down encampments and taken pre-emptive punitive measures. It presents 26 case studies across nearly two dozen universities, covering 7 October 2023 to 30 September 2025.

Amnesty found that the restrictions often did not meet the high bar in international and UK law for interfering with political speech and peaceful assembly.

Sanctions have included suspensions, campus bans, threats to withdraw degrees, visa statuses being jeopardised, in moves “often causing great personal harm.”

In several cases, sanctions were imposed before disciplinary hearings had concluded, “effectively transforming precautionary measures into punishments and contributing to the chilling effect.” Some universities prolonged investigations without clarifying timelines, outcomes or routes of appeal, which – combined with campus bans and restricted access to services – had “severe impacts on people’s education, mental health and future prospects.”

Some universities relied on overly broad disciplinary codes, characterising protests as ‘disruptive’ or ‘offensive’ despite what the NGO says was “no apparent evidence of targeted harm”. Others treated peaceful protest as trespass, even in campus squares, foyers and union buildings used for protests for decades. Some now require advance approval for protests, while others have sought court injunctions imposing blanket bans across large parts of campus, exposing students and staff to the risk of fines and imprisonment.

Kerry Moscogiuri, CEO of Amnesty International UK, said: “This is an attack on our freedom of speech and the right to protest from the very institutions who are supposed to encourage free thought.

“Students and academics care about the victims of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. It’s beyond belief that some of our prominent universities see this as a threat that requires punitive measures like court injunctions, and harsh punishments that leave students with their lives turned upside down.”

She said the findings were “part of a wider crackdown on communities coming together to make their voices heard on Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and other issues they care about.”

Amnesty is asking universities to commit to its ‘Defend Dissent Charter’.

According to the human rights body, some universities have shared legal strategies, received instructions from the Department for Education, and shared security planning, with the effect of clamping down on those perceived to be showing support for the victims of Israel’s apartheid and genocide in Gaza. The authors argue Palestine-related expression frequently came under greater scrutiny than other student protest, with Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and other racialised students and staff, as well as non-British students, experiencing “particular and disproportionate impacts.”

Usama Ghanem, a 22-year-old student, was suspended by King’s College London in 2025 over his involvement in pro-Palestinian activism, and told to “return to [Egypt] during this period of suspension”, where he had previously been detained and tortured. His suspension was lifted after review in September 2026.

Usama said: “I left an authoritarian regime in Egypt to find one at King’s College London. For protesting a genocide our university was funding and demanding divestment, I was indefinitely suspended, monitored, and threatened with deportation to the very authoritarian regime I had fled. As a lead negotiator for our Palestine encampment, I saw King’s discipline 25 other students too. This was about more than punishment, it was an attempt to intimidate us into silence.”

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Attack at Edinburgh Protest

At the University of Edinburgh, on 28 March 2025, a peaceful protest organised by the Edinburgh Justice for Palestine Society was “violently disrupted when a man assaulted a student with a knife”, the report says. The attacker, a local resident unaffiliated with the university, had been seen loitering near the protest site, and students later heard him chanting ‘**** Palestine’ as he approached. Students told security that he shouted Islamophobic and racist slurs and tried to pull off Muslim women’s hijabs.

Ben Law, a student at the protest, was slashed in the face. “Bloodied and shocked, Law warned others and sought help from campus security. Students who were there allege that, despite the visible presence of a weapon and the attacker’s escalating aggression, security officers refused to intervene directly, saying they needed to consult a line manager. The attacker left the scene after student protesters calmed him down, without intervention from university staff,” the authors write.

Amnesty says the university’s failure to take reasonable steps to prevent or mitigate foreseeable harm “was a serious lapse” in its duty to protect students. It adds that in the following days the university gave a statement to The National newspaper but issued no general statement to staff and students.

A University of Edinburgh spokesperson disputed the allegations, telling Byline Times: “Safety on campus is our utmost priority and we condemn any violence in our community in the strongest terms. We respect the right to peaceful protest and our security team routinely attend events including protests, irrespective of the focus, to ensure wellbeing. Security provide immediate support during and after any incident at any event.”

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Campus Bans at LSE

On Sunday 7 July 2024, seven students at the London School of Economics (LSE) staged a peaceful protest lasting under half an hour in the Student Services Centre foyer, calling for the university to divest from companies supplying arms to Israel. Students wore keffiyehs and t-shirts with red handprints symbolising blood, used a megaphone and chanted slogans.

LSE then imposed precautionary campus bans on the students. In-person wellbeing support was initially restricted, and one student reported difficulty accessing on-campus medical care, as attending an appointment would have meant breaching the ban.

The university justified the measures in part by citing witness statements that highlighted the date – the anniversary of the 7/7 London bombings. Internal emails obtained via Subject Access Request show senior leadership describing the protest as a ‘temper tantrum by children’ and the students as ‘dressed as terrorists’. One official proposed expelling the students before any investigation had taken place.

An LSE spokesperson told Byline Times its investigation relied on “multiple witness statements and extensive CCTV footage”, following complaints from staff registering students that day. The university said nothing was put on the students’ records, that precautionary measures were adjusted at students’ request, and that six students received formal warnings while one case was dismissed. It did not address the internal emails.

The spokesperson added: “Freedom of speech and expression are of the utmost importance to LSE and underpin everything we do. LSE will only take measures against protestors if a protest crosses the line into illegality, is threatening to individuals, or significantly disrupts the community.”

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Bath and Warwick

In the days following the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023, emails reported by Amnesty show that the University of Bath’s chief compliance officer contacted the local authority and the Prevent lead – Prevent being the Government’s deradicalisation programme – to report potential ‘tensions’ between student groups. Another email from the official to the same recipients referred to ‘some posts from the Arab Society’ which had prompted discussion within the university, including at senior level and with representatives of the Jewish Society.

A University of Bath spokesperson said the chief compliance officer featured in the report has since left the university, and the Prevent lead is now the University Secretary and Registrar.

The spokesperson added: “As is normal practice, and in line with our legal and regulatory duties, we sought guidance and worked closely with a number of key partners, including our Students’ Union and student societies, to share guidance and support where needed.

“As a University, we keep our policies and procedures under regular review ensuring compliance with our statutory duties around Prevent while protecting our community’s right to free speech within the law.”

Amnesty also reports that in November 2023 a University of Warwick student joined a Palestine solidarity demonstration organised by an anti-racist student society. “During the protest, the student held a placard displaying a message that drew a historical parallel between the persecution of Jews under Nazi Germany and the oppression of Palestinians. The student told Amnesty International that the intention was not to deny or trivialise the Holocaust, nor to express antisemitic views.”

A week later, police arrested the student at their university accommodation after the university made a report alleging the placard was antisemitic, the human rights group says.

The University of Warwick and King’s College London did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.

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