SOAS SPIRIT
21 MARCH 2022
FREE
YOUR INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER
ISSUE 20
RUSSIA INVADES
EUPHORIA SEASON 2
SOAS MEN'S FOOTBALL
UKRAINE
REVIEWED
GO INTERNATIONAL
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SOAS Occupied: Students Removed From SOAS Main Building
On day one a banner serves as the border of the occupied space on the first floor of the main building. (Credit: Frances Howe)
Lara Holly Gibbs, MA Gender Studies On the morning of 23 February, a group of students began occupying the first floor of the SOAS Main Building where the executive offices and staff common room are located. On Thursday 3 March the remaining students were evicted by a private eviction company, nine days after the occupation began. Throughout the occupation, students gathered on campus in support of the occupiers. Sometime after 11 PM on Thursday 3 March, an unknown number of men entered the SOAS Main Building. Some entered the building through the balcony using a ladder. Several men were seen wearing uniforms from a company called Eviction Response Team, while others could be seen outside
of the Main Building holding riot shields. Occupiers were given the option to leave or told they would be ‘carried out.’ SOAS Solidarity Instagram live streamed the events and urged those nearby campus to come and support the occupiers. A video posted by SOAS Solidarity (the group behind the occupation) showed a student being carried out of the Main Building. Students gathered and shouted ‘shame’ as the student was removed from the premises. The student filming the video was describing the situation and could be heard saying ‘there are people down on the floor and security are dragging them by their legs.’ By 1 AM, no occupiers were believed to remain in the Main Building. Statements from SOAS deny that any ‘injury or incident’ occurred during the removal, though SOAS Solidarity statements contradict this, saying that three students were injured during the removal.
On the first day, occupiers published a set of four demands of the occupation. The first called on management to ‘Accept, implement and advocate for’ UCU and UNISON’s demands. The second asked for demands of SOAS student and worker-led campaigns to be accepted, including English classes for the cleaning team and ‘the immediate removal of Adam Habib.’ Thirdly, occupiers asked to demarketise and decolonise the institution. Lastly, that there would be no disciplinary action taken against anyone involved in the occupation. SOAS’s Chief Operating Officer, Khadir Meer, told the occupiers on the first day that they had until 5 PM to leave by peaceful exit. This deadline was extended to 5:30 PM, however after 7 PM, Meer told students that no action would be Continued on page 3