OA4P Disrupts Lecture by President of Ben-Gurion University

28 November 2024

OA4P, Oxford Brookes students, and members of the Oxford community oncea again demonstrated our unwavering refusal to platform Zionists in another successful disruptive action.

Oxford Brookes University hosted a lecture by Daniel Chamovitz, President of israel's BenGurion University (BGU)-an institution with close ties to the cybersecurity industry and israeli occupation forces (IOF). BGU also hosts the Homeland Security Institute whose partnerships include israel's top weapons companies and the israeli ministry of defense.

Once again, pro-Palestine protestors faced violent physical attacks by the attendees of the lecture during a demonstration and disruptive action aimed at calling out the guest speaker's complicity. This lecture takes place just days after the brutalisation of protestors outside of Oxford University's Brasenose College which hosted the former israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy.

Contrary to the claim that this lecture was meant to 'embrace diversity', Chamovitz exposed the horrendous extent of the ethnic cleansing of a former Palestinian majority in the region resulting in a devastating 20% Palestinian student population at Ben Gurion. He claimed a 'problematic culture' of the Palestinian University members, and waxed lyrical about the flourishing and strengthening ties of his University to the IOF, which currently stands accused with charges of genocide, ethnic cleansing, illegal occupation and apartheid by the UN, the ICC, and the ICJ.

OA4P stands resolutely against the platforming of such genocide supporters, and calls out the hypocrisy of an institution like Oxford Brookes which claims to be anti-racist despite inviting individuals that are not just verbally racist towards Palestinians but also fully embrace funding the murder of Palestinians through their military ties.

Despite the violence, protestors across Oxford remain steadfast in their support of proPalestine efforts, voicing their solidarity at two rallies, just yesterday. Protestors outside of the Brookes' talk were persistent in exposing the University's complicity, while protestors inside were being targeted.

This ever-increasing support for Palestine continues as human rights-related legal action adds to the mounting evidence exposing Oxford academic institutions, with the announcement of ICJP's legal filing against Oxford University's All Soul's college yesterday.

For each day that Oxford institutions remain financially and academically complicit, israel continues its horrific murderous rampage across Palestine, Lebanon, and beyond. An academic boycott isolated apartheid South Africa and we must follow suit again to bring the israeli apartheid to an end. Our movement will not tire until we witness a liberated Palestine.