Hundreds of students at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London gathered this weekend to protest the presence of Israeli ambassador to the UK Mark Regev on their campus.
Mr Regev was a former spokesperson for the Israeli state who rose to international prominence through his defence of the attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip in 2014, including the many violations of human rights and international law carried out throughout these operations.
On an official invitation from the Jewish and the model UN societies, he was asked to speak at an event on ‘Israel and the Middle East’. Over 40 societies and 150 academics wrote an official letter urging the administration to stop the event, urging the management to respect the democratic will of SOAS not to provide a platform for representatives of Israeli institutions, despite this the event went ahead.
Enjoyed an engaging discussion about Israel & Middle East with @SOAS students. Thanks to SOAS JSoc, Chair Prof @Eric_Heinze_ & all who came. pic.twitter.com/6Z0LSC83FT
— Mark Regev (@AmbMarkRegev) April 27, 2017
Eric Heinze of Queen Mary University chaired the meeting and opened by saying that many people considered Regev a war criminal for his defence of Israeli actions in Gaza as spokesperson. Regev flatly denied these accusations and defended his position saying that he had done his job, “to represent the democratically elected government of Israel” with pride.
Among the societies who condemned Regev’s presence on campus was the Palestinian Society, who wrote the following as part of their official statement:
‘Mr Regev will be speaking at our University as an official representative of the Israeli state, not in a personal capacity. He is being given the cover of an academic setting to put forward official state positions on the on-going expansion of illegal settlements, the siege of Gaza, land thefts, and discriminatory laws imposed on Palestinian citizens of Israel. This is not an academic debate, informed by fact and reason, it is an official exercise in state propaganda.’
Whilst the lecture was taking place, hundreds of pro-palestinian activists and students gathered outside to protest with music and dancing. Despite the presence of pro-Israeli groups the protests remained peaceful yet high spirited. Mark Regev was not spotted entering the building through the main entrance, much to the disappointment of the activists who wished to question him directly for his presence on campus.
Their message to him, however, was loud and clear.
