From Wednesday 23 February, a group of students at SOAS in London occupied the management corridor in our university for nine full days, until we were illegally evicted (dragged out) by private bailiffs late on the night of Thursday 3 March. The occupation has led to a big uptick in on-campus political organising, with over 30 students inside the occupation, and hundreds more gathering outside at times in supporting rallies.
The occupation demanded of the university management: accept the demands of the UCU and Unison workers’ disputes; accept and implement the demands of student-led campaigns; make a fundamental shift in the university to reflect “demarketisation and decolonisation”. Practically this means cutting international student fees to match UK students, cutting managers’ salaries to the average uni workers wage, increasing Sanctuary scholarships, and addressing the poor quality and exploitative accommodation that SOAS, like many unis, offers.
A central demand is the removal of Adam Habib, director of SOAS. The authoritarian crackdown on the occupation reflects his repressive handling of student protests when VC at Wits Uni in South Africa. Protests continue for the occupation’s demands, including Habib’s removal. A student and staff walkout is being organised for Thursday 9 March, with more protests on Friday 9th. More: @soassolidarity
• The National Union of Students held a national “walkout and teach-in” on 2 March, centred on a rally at Torrington Square, London, just round the corner from SOAS. Sadly, an hour into the event there were at most 200 people there, and many of those UCU strikers rather than students. NUS needs not only more left-wing policies, but also a reorientation towards organising and mobilising.