Students camp out to demand UAB cut ties with Israel

Around one hundred students spent their first night camped out at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), calling on the university to cut all ties with Israel.

The protest began early on Thursday, during a meeting of the university senate.

Students lay down outside the entrance – not to block access, but to make a visible protest and demand the university fulfill agreements made in May 2024 to sever relations with Israel.

A UAB spokesperson told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) that steps have been taken to implement the agreements – including efforts to host Palestinian students, which have so far been unsuccessful – but acknowledged that these actions have not been publicized.

The students say they will camp out indefinitely, echoing a similar protest held a year ago, when they first called on UAB to cut ties with Israeli institutions over the ongoing armed conflict in Gaza.

At that time, the university senate approved a statement condemning the attacks, called for a peaceful resolution, and began suspending cooperation agreements with Israeli universities, companies, and research centers, while committing to host refugee students affected by the conflict.

"One year on, we’re here to demand that the university follow through on what was agreed, publish its actions, and continue implementing the measures, along with new demands," student spokesperson Gonzalo Tejera told ACN.

Greater urgency is needed, he said, as the conflict has entered an "increasingly violent phase."

"We want the UAB to commit to new standards of ethical academic research, to prevent future collaboration with Israeli institutions, and to break economic ties with companies like Banco Santander," he added.

They are also calling for the university to urge the Catalan and Spanish governments, as well as the European Union, to sever relations with Israeli institutions.

A UAB spokesperson said that since May 2024, the university has suspended a student exchange agreement and some research collaborations with Israeli partners.

They have not managed to welcome four or five Palestinian students, despite having budgeted for a refugee scholarship program, because the students could not leave Gaza or remain stranded in Egypt without the necessary visas.

They also acknowledged that parts of the university’s actions were not made public, one of the reasons behind the renewed protests.