‘UCL Stand for Justice’ has condemned the north London university for going to the courts and smearing its campaign in support of Palestine and against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
University College London (UCL) has won a court order to regain control of part of its campus which has been occupied by pro-Gaza protesters since May.
The university took legal action against ‘persons unknown’ over the ‘unauthorised occupational encampment’ on its main site on Gower Street in central London, claiming activists were trespassing on private land.
The High Court granted UCL a summary possession order, which decided the case in the university’s favour without a full trial.
In response to the court’s decision, UCL Stand for Justice said it was ‘disheartening’ that the university had chosen to ‘smear’ its actions rather than address its concerns ‘through open and honest dialogue’.
UCL claimed to the High Court that it had spent more than £200,000 on security fees for managing the unauthorised protest camp.
The protest began on 2 May with 12 tents, growing to an encampment that ‘at its peak’ involved about 50 people and some 52 tents.
Judge Francesca Kaye said that UCL has a right to regain possession of its land.
UCL Stand for Justice responded that it is ‘open to negotiating’ and urged the university to ‘commit to engaging with us in good faith’.
