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- '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,' says CEO of Amnesty International UK
By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - A number of UK universities have suppressed pro-Palestinian solidarity as academics and students have faced sanctions, suspensions, and campus bans, a new study said Tuesday.
In its report, titled Silencing Dissent: UK universities’ response to Palestine solidarity on campus, Amnesty International UK said that students and academics at some prominent universities in the UK have faced sanctions, including suspensions, campus bans, and threats to their visa status for actions "as simple as chanting, clapping and wearing keffiyehs."
The study said these sanctions and threats were used to "restrict" solidarity with the Palestinian people among students and academics, including speech that could be perceived as critical of Israel.
Amnesty also found that the restrictions highlighted in case studies documented in the report often didn’t meet the high bar in international and UK law for interfering with political speech and peaceful assembly.
The report which covered events from Oct. 7, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2025, accompanies Defend Dissent, a student-led campaign calling on universities across the UK to sign and implement the Defend Dissent Charter.
"Students who are visibly Muslim and those displaying symbols of Palestinian identity have been disproportionately impacted," according to the findings.
Citing several cases, the report showed that sanctions were imposed before disciplinary hearings had concluded, effectively transforming precautionary measures into punishments and contributing to the chilling effect.
The report found instances of universities treating peaceful protest as trespass, even in spaces such as campus squares, foyers, and union buildings which have been used for protests for decades.
- 'This is part of a wider crackdown on communities'
"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," said Kerry Moscogiuri, the CEO of Amnesty International UK.
Saying that students and academics care about the victims of Israel's genocide in Gaza, she said some 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.
"This is 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," she said.
The report mentioned a specific case which involved 22-year-old student Usama Ghanem, who was suspended by Kings College London in 2025 over his involvement in pro Palestinian activism, and told to "return to (Egypt) during this period of suspension."
Usama said: "For protesting a genocide, our university was funding and demanding divestment, I was indefinitely suspended, monitored, and threatened with deportation."
His suspension was lifted after review in September 2026.
The report also cited different cases where students and academics faced various pressure over their activism at their universities including the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
