British universities lift ban on Gaza protests

SANAA, June 19 (YPA) – Britain’s Office for Students watchdog has issued crucial new guidance preventing English universities from imposing blanket bans on student protests, stressing the need to protect freedom of expression, even when dealing with divisive issues such as the war in Gaza or controversial views on gender identity.

According to the Guardian newspaper, which reported the news, the directives, which were published coinciding with the start of the countdown to the implementation of the “Freedom of Expression in Higher Education Law,” scheduled for next August, represent a radical change in the relationship of universities with student movements.

She points out that imposing permanent restrictions on protests such as sit-ins in solidarity with Gaza, such as those witnessed by Cambridge University, is no longer acceptable. However, universities are required to prevent protests characterized by “intensity and intrusiveness” if they cause intimidation of Jewish students, according to the official text.

The Commission also called on universities to guarantee freedom of expression for visiting speakers, prevent the practice of “reporting others” for their legal opinions, and not pressure academics to endorse certain views.