The students are packing up their tents in front of Copenhagen University and shifting their focus to Gaza. Copenhagen, May 29, 2023 – The pro-Palestinian students from the group “Students Against Occupation” have decided to remove their tent camp in front of Copenhagen University. In a press release on Sunday, they announced that their protest camp is ending, following the university’s declaration on May 28 that they will withdraw their investments from three companies listed on the UN’s list of firms with activities in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Since the beginning of May, the students have set up their tents in protest against the university’s investments. But now, with the university’s decision, according to the press release, they are moving the “fight further from Rafah Garden,” which they have named their tent camp. Rafah is a city in the southernmost part of Gaza, where many internally displaced Palestinians live. The city has been the target of a series of Israeli attacks in recent weeks.
The students will mark the dismantling of the tent camp with a large demonstration at 5 pm. “The announcement is a direct result of the pressure we have put on the university over the past three years. It is a great victory – for students and staff at CU, but also for the entire movement. We see this victory as the first step towards ensuring that CU does not contribute to the Israeli occupation of Palestine,” the group writes in the press release. According to “Students Against Occupation,” the camp has created great momentum for the movement and shown what can be achieved through collective efforts.
Salam El Youssef, a spokesperson for the group, stated on May 21 that they would not leave the site until Copenhagen University had met their six demands. These demands are now partially met, according to the movement. The group has decided to close down the camp in order to focus their resources on more targeted political work. “We believe that we can use our energy more effectively. It takes a lot of resources to keep a camp running, and we want to release these resources so we can do more targeted political work,” the press release states.
Students Against Occupation continue their work and fight for Palestinian rights, and they have now shifted their focus to Gaza, where the situation remains critical. Updates to follow…