UK: Soas student leaders win legal settlement after dismissal over pro-Palestine activism
Two former student leaders at the School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas) in London have reached a settlement with the university’s students’ union after taking the union to court over wrongful dismissal for their anti-Zionist beliefs and pro-Palestine activism.
Alexander Cachinero-Gorman and Abel Harvie-Clark brought claims against the Soas Students’ Union and Soas after they were sacked from their elected sabbatical roles in 2024, before they had a chance to assume them.
Both student activists were dismissed from their positions despite being freely elected by the student body.
The pair said their dismissal was due to their anti-Zionist philosophical beliefs and student activism in support of Palestine.
In March 2024 the student body elected Gorman to serve as vice president of welfare and campaigns, and Clark as vice president of democracy and education.
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But the students’ union trustee board dismissed the pair in June 2024 over concerns about their conduct and public criticism of the union’s leadership.
However, after the tribunal proceedings began, both parties reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount, bringing the case to a close without a full hearing.
Gorman described the settlement as a “bittersweet victory” and a “clear recognition that a profound wrong was done” to the student activists.
“While the settlement represents a clear recognition that a profound wrong was done to us, it doesn't change the reality of the systemic hostility towards anti-Zionist students and workers at Soas,” Gorman told Middle East Eye.
"Soas and its students’ union sent the clear message that they could not tolerate actual student democracy or any real institutional accountability. By dismissing us before we even took office, they tried to send a warning that they can unilaterally forge relationships with Zionist organisations, invite genocidaires to our campus, and attack trade unionists without pushback.”
Clark echoed Gorman’s sentiment, saying the situation had left the pair spending “years in a forced limbo”.
“The message from the management of Soas students’ union was that student democracy and activism only exist by their permission,” said Clark.
“They are attempting to bypass liberal norms around free speech in higher education in order to transform the university into an authoritarian space where academic freedom and workers’ rights are gifts they can withdraw at will.”
Court documents showed that tensions escalated between the student leaders and Soas administration after a series of pro-Palestine protests on campus, including protests against the invitation of the Union of Jewish Students to a freshers’ fair and mass rallies following Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in October 2023.
Wider significance
Despite the absence of a formal judgment, the case highlights growing tensions on UK campuses over pro-Palestine activism and institutional responses to it.
Franck Magennis, who represented both student activists, said the case represented how Soas and its students’ union “are actively suppressing anti-Zionist speech and trade union activity on campus.
“This important legal victory further demonstrates what has been clear for at least two and a half years of genocide: Zionist positions are collapsing everywhere and are now incapable of defence, whether inside or outside court,” he said.
“Soas Students’ Union should publicly apologise to my clients, and hold a robust inquiry into the ongoing problem of institutional anti-Palestinian racism. I will be assisting my clients with submitting a complaint to the Charity Commission to provide a further avenue for accountability.”
Following Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, Soas became a hotbed of student activism in support of Palestine.
Last August, Soas expelled Haya Adam for her pro-Palestine activism, after it said the Palestinian student – who served as president of the Soas Palestine Society – had breached the university’s code of conduct.
Soas, which specialises in the humanities and social sciences, does not hold research partnerships with arms companies participating in Israel’s war on Gaza.
However, protesters have criticised its research links with the UK Ministry of Defence and Israeli universities, as well as its financial ties to banks accused of financing Israel’s genocide in Gaza, such as Barclays.
The University of London, which owns the university precinct, took the student protesters to court in October 2024, obtaining a High Court injunction prohibiting demonstrations on the premises without the prior written approval of university management. The injunction carried legal consequences for non-compliance.
Similar injunctions were filed by various UK universities, including the University of Cambridge and the University of Bristol.
Soas also hosted one of the longest-running student encampments for Palestine, following other university campuses across Britain which set up encampments to demand their institutions divest from companies profiting from Israeli war crimes.
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