Sheffield University: Bailiffs evict Gaza solidarity camp after 93 days following legal action

A key purpose of the camp, run by the Sheffield Campus Coalition for Palestine (SCCP), was to demand that the University of Sheffield end its relationships with companies involved in the arms industry.

After the order was granted on July 26, a spokesperson for the university said: “The camp has been outside of our Students’ Union building since 1 May and is raising a number of health and safety concerns, as well as causing ongoing disruption to university activities and our community.”

The SCCP has repeatedly denied suggestions the camp caused health and safety concerns.

Almost a week later after the order was granted, at 5am on Thursday (August 1), bailiffs arrived to remove the camp.

Members of the Sheffield Campus Coalition for Palestine said on social media: “We held this space for exactly three months, [or] 93 days, making us the longest standing encampment in solidarity with Gaza in the UK.

“The physical camp may be gone, but the movement is not.”

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After the possession order was announced, the university stated it sought to “balance the right to protest and our responsibilities to maintain the safety and welfare of our University community.”

It also added that despite it not having “permission” to be in place, the university had “allowed the camp to remain in the interests of freedom of speech”.

More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed to date in Israeli attacks on Gaza, following the attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which killed over 1,000 Israelis.