Revolutionary Communist Students in London organised a rally on UCL campus on Monday 2 March to defend free speech, the right to protest, and demand the reinstatement of revolutionary communist student Jamie Bradshaw.
Jamie was arrested, suspended, his scholarship revoked, and was banned from entering campus for giving a speech opposing the university’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza and calling for an uprising against western imperialism.
Why we called a rally
The Met Police arrested Jamie just over two weeks ago while he was giving a speech at a demonstration for the demilitarisation of research, organised by UCL Action for Palestine student coalition.
Especially egregious was the fact that UCL had called the police on its own students before the peaceful protest had even begun! It was clear they were looking for an excuse to make an arrest that would serve as a warning to the Palestine movement on campus.
Jamie was finally released after being held for 14 hours – longer than renowned paedophile Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has spent in custody!
Despite the fact that Jamie was released without charge, he was subsequently banned from campus and suspended from his degree by UCL. Under the pretext that he had caused the university “reputational damage” – as if they hadn’t been the ones calling the police on to campus to begin with!
The university management stripped our comrade of his scholarship and teaching duties, taking away his only source of income.
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Campus protest
In response, the Revolutionary Communist Students at UCL immediately started mobilising for a protest on campus, demanding his reinstatement and calling on all students to unite to defend free speech and the right to protest.
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In the week running up to the protest, we were out on UCL campus with stalls, discussing what had taken place with students, leafleting, and selling our paper The Communist. A petition we created demanding Jamie’s reinstatement has gathered more than 500 signatures at the time of writing.
It is clear that our campaign has reached large layers of students on campus. It was difficult to find a student who hadn’t heard about Jamie’s arrest. The mood amongst those who stopped to talk to us was one of overwhelming sympathy for Jamie and disgust towards UCL.
On the day of the protest, we found that the original location we had advertised for the rally outside the Malet Gates had been conveniently cordoned off for tree surgery.
Whether a coincidence or pre-planned, seeing the widespread sympathy and support for Jamie, UCL management were frightened. We did not let this get in the way and moved the protest to the Student Centre in Gordon Square.
There was a big turnout, with about 60 people present between members of Revolutionary Communist Students, pro-Palestine students, and passers-by who stopped to see what was happening and express their support. One staff member working nearby left their office after hearing the chants and came to participate.
Shamefully, UCL once again called the police on its own students! Ten police officers were mobilised to deal with our peaceful protest. It’s clear they had come in the hope of arresting Jamie, who wasn’t present. One police officer, who had been involved in Jamie’s arrest, was overheard asking UCL security whether Jamie was there.
Fully reinstate Jamie!
The protest started with loud chants aimed at UCL management “Michael Spence, you’re a liar, just another crook for hire!” and “Keir Starmer: you’re the terrorist!”
André from the UCL RCP branch called management out on its supposed “neutrality” – which is completely at odds with the facts.
A speaker from the IWGB union expressed solidarity with the cause, while also alluding to the support that UCL Communists had offered during the cleaners’ strike in October, following Sodexo’s attacks against pay and conditions.
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A speaker from UCL Action for Palestine also expressed support for Jamie, and Rui Cardoso, a London RCP organiser, highlighted the need to broaden this struggle beyond campus, against the whole rotten capitalist system, which UCL’s actions reflect.
The same ruling class that imposes austerity on students and workers also funds the genocide in Gaza and the war on Iran, and compels universities to repress their own students for protesting against these things.
This same ruling class also cuts university budgets, leading to a worsening of teaching and learning conditions for both students and staff members, while fat-cat senior managers are rewarded for these attacks with eye-watering salaries.
Jamie’s arrest is part of a pattern of increased state repression against the whole Palestine movement, with the students who have been at the forefront of the struggle bearing the brunt.
Our protest has already led to a partial victory. 11 minutes into the protest, Jamie received an email from the Provost stating that there had been a “misunderstanding” – that although he had been banned from campus, he was not suspended as a student! His scholarship has also been reinstated.
This retreat on the part of UCL shows that our mobilisation is working! It is our task now to turn this retreat into a rout! We won’t rest until Jamie is fully reinstated and allowed back onto campus!
