Court rules in favour of LSE against pro-Palestine encampment, allowing it to dismantle protest
An encampment set up by students from the London School of Economics (LSE) Student Union Palestine Society inside the LSE’s Marshall Building, 14 May 2024
Middle East Monitor reports on 16 June 2024:
A court has ruled that the London School of Economics (LSE) can dismantle the pro-Palestinian encampment on its campus, in a loss for a group of students in the first stage of the legal battle.
Following a hearing held at the Central London County Court this week, District Judge Kevin Moses issued an interim possession order, which requires those attending and enforcing the encampment to leave the premises within 24 hours once that order is served.
The judge stated that the group of protestors “are aware of the difficulties they are causing the claimants. They are aware of the difficulties they are causing to other users of the premises”. While he acknowledged that the students maintain the right to protest, he emphasised that that right does not “give parties an unfettered right to occupy other parties’ premises with a view to protesting, particularly when they are required to leave”.
The group of protestors initially set up the encampment within the LSE’s Marshall Building campus on 14 May, following the publishing of a report by the Student’ Union’s Palestine Society – titled ‘Assets in Apartheid’ – which revealed the LSE’s apparent investments of £89 million into 137 companies involved in Israel’s ongoing offensive on Gaza, as well as in the fossil fuels and arms industry and the production of nuclear weapons.
The court order demanding that the students disband and dismantle their encampment is a result of the university’s legal action against the group earlier this month, making the institution one of those throughout the UK which have sought such possession orders against the encampments on their campuses