Oxford students arrested after violent crackdown on pro-Palestine protest

Over a dozen students were arrested at Oxford University on Thursday, after police cracked down on a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. 

For the past two weeks, Oxford students have launched protests and an encampment, demanding the university end investments in and partnerships with companies and institutions involved in Israel's war on Gaza, and its occupation of Palestinian land. 

According to Oxford Action for Palestine, students launched a peaceful sit-in on Thursday morning in the Wellington Square office building to demand that the university administration - which has yet to negotiate - meet with the protesters. 

The group said in a statement that instead of engaging in dialogue, the university's vice chancellor placed the building under lockdown and called the police. 

"When informed of the threat of arrest, the students willingly stood up and voluntar[ily] offered to vacate the premises," Oxford Action for Palestine said in a statement. "In an escalatory move, all students were arrested and their phones were confiscated, taking away their ability to record or film from inside."

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