Palestine Camp hits Edinburgh

In response to a growing number of encampments set up by university students in the United States and Germany, many of which have led to suspensions and arrests as university administrators crack down on peaceful dissent, a new protest camp has sprung up this morning in Edinburgh.

At 8am this morning, dozens of people gathered to pitch tents on [the lawn of Scottish Parliament]. They say they will not leave until the UK government ends arms shipments to Israel.

Since the beginning of Israel’s genocide in Gaza six months ago, Scotland has seen determined solidarity efforts including mass-marches and arms factory blockades. But this morning marks something new: the UK arrival of the mass encampment, a phenomenon which has been sweeping and electrifying universities in the US for the past week.

In the words of Safed, a spokesperson,

“We believe that solidarity in words is no longer enough… We believe that only through direct action can we hope to achieve the route towards Palestinian liberation”. (From today, Safed is beginning a hunger strike, among his motivations being “complete physical solidarity with the reality of Gaza”)

Like its US counterparts, the camp has a range of explicit and implicit goals. Its full list of demands is:

(1) an embargo on arms sales to Israel
(2) divestment of Scottish entities from Israeli businesses
(3) formal recognition of the genocide of Palestinians
(4) academic divestment of Scottish Universities from Israel, and
(5) protection of the right to protest in Scotland

More immediately, the camp will be looking to sustain its own right to protest against possible police crackdown. Organisers are currently in the midst of a broadcasting bonanza, as the action and location – both close secrets until this morning – are shared with friendly groups and individuals across the country.

And, on a broader level, the camp is seeking to express something more intangible. Cam, a camp organiser and member of Edinburgh’s Jewish community, describes a vision of “building community”, and “empowering residents of Edinburgh” to take a stand against the genocide.

In a subtle but significant departure from US equivalents (and expectations) the camp is not a student-centric operation. Cam says: “Anyone who feels galvanised to act is very welcome to come down and set up a tent – but if you don’t feel able to do that, there are many other ways to show support. If you’re able to come down with supplies, we’ll be launching a website which says what we need. If you can’t do that: write to your MP, use your voice, talk to friends and loved ones about what’s happening in Gaza.”

Protest-veterans and law-lovers alike might be pleased to know that the camp is planned to operate around ten core guidelines, including ‘no drugs or alcohol’, ‘no littering’, and a commitment to “eradicating anti-Semitism and anti-Islamophobia”.

Even more than with other forms of direct action, it’s highly unclear how this camp is going to turn out. Many peaceful gatherings at US universities have been swamped with riot police. On the other hand, it was precisely such an over-reach at Columbia which gave the movement its present momentum.

If those in power do move to ‘enforce the law’ in Edinburgh, this would be pretty rich: the UK government’s own lawyers have admitted that the very arms exports being protested are themselves illegal.

These arms are not a distant issue: they include F-35 fighter jets and attack helicopters, components of which are made down the road at Leonardo Edinburgh.

And these arms are not abstractions: in the 24 hours leading up to Friday, forty-three Palestinians were killed and sixty-four injured in yet more “indiscriminate” Israeli bombing. It’s unclear how many of these were women and children. In the same period, a mass grave has been found containing almost four hundred bodies.

And, in the same period, the IDF announced plans to “move ahead” with an attack on Rafah, which currently houses 1.5 million mostly-displaced Palestinians, 600,000 of whom are children.

If now is not the time to take a stand, together – when is?