People gathered outside Goldsmiths University for the protest. Pic: Ella Smith

Dozens of students at Goldsmiths, University of London, staged a walkout for Palestine on Thursday, accusing Goldsmiths University and the British government of complicity in the ongoing war on Gaza.

The protest marked the one year after the October 7 attacks when the armed wing of Gaza’s political party Hamas launched a cross border attack, killing 1,200 Israelis and taking more than 250 hostage. Israel responded with a year-long bombing campaign that has so far killed over 40,000 Palestinians and displaced millions.

Starr Thomas, a third-year student and key member of the group told Eastlondonlines: “We haven’t really stopped. We’ve had three occupations, several negotiations, and countless meetings. Management seems to think they can fizzle us out with bureaucracy, but we’re still here. We’re not going anywhere.” 

Thomas said the walkout was a coordinated effort with other universities across the UK, aimed at showing that the Palestinian cause remains a priority for students. “It’s not just some random event,” they continued. “We need to constantly remind ourselves what our government and universities are complicit in. Daily life should be disrupted until real change happens.”

Last year, protesting students made five key demands on the university’s senior management, including: Publicly acknowledging that the Israeli offensive in Gaza constitutes genocide, protecting the rights of protesters, committing to rebuilding Palestinian education infrastructure, divesting from Israeli-linked companies and revoking the university’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

Goldsmiths’ management responded by acknowledging the right to protest and supporting calls for humanitarian aid, scholarships, and partnerships with Palestinian universities, expressing sympathy for all victims of the conflict, and reiterating their call for a ceasefire.

G4P said last year’s protest resulted in what they called a “victory for Palestine,” including the first undergraduate Palestinian scholarship at a British university.

However, students say management fell short of meeting all the demands including refusing to declare Israel’s actions a genocide.

Students stressed the importance of maintaining momentum in this latest round of protests.

Wilf told Eastlondonlines that the focus of the protest is gradually shifting: “What changes do I hope the university will make? In a way, I think it’s not even necessarily about university changes as specifically as it was a year ago. Now, it’s that the more people that come here will hopefully go to wider national demonstrations.”

Last year, Jewish students at the university raised concerns about anti-Semitism on campus, including at pro-Palestine protests.

At the time a spokesperson for Goldsmiths said: “We are reminding students, staff, and visitors that Goldsmiths must be a place where everyone in our community feels safe and supported.”