STAFF and students at the University of York have launched an ‘encampment for Palestine’.

This morning (May 15), a temporary campsite has been put up at the University of York where students and staff are camping out for ‘Nakba Day’ – the day widely commemorated as the 76th anniversary of the Palestinian displacement.

The encampment claims that the University of York is one of 82 Universities who the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) say are at risk for potential criminal liability over investments held in arms companies and Israeli settlements.

READ MORE:

The encampment has a list of five demands to the University of York, which include: cutting ties with weapons manufacturers; supporting Gaza's educational institutions; providing scholarships for Palestinian students; a statement condemning the Palestinian genocide; and to help support Fadi Hania, a university of York alumni and Gazan citizen.

Although the University of York has announced divestment from companies that primarily invest in arms, the encampment claims that the university has not committed to cutting ties with the Israeli apartheid scheme. The encampment is one of over 30 at universities across the UK as students call upon their institutions to cut ties with Israeli arms companies and support Palestinians.

An anonymous member of the encampment, who is a student at the University of York, said: "We call on the university to meet our demands and to actively support Palestinian liberation, as a supposed institution for public good and University of Sanctuary we have a responsibility to support the people of Palestine."