UK police have arrested 16 people at a protest organised by a pro-Palestinian student group at Oxford University, in the latest flare-up on a prestigious campus over the war in Gaza. It follows protests in recent weeks at more than a dozen UK universities, including at world-renowned Oxford and Cambridge, emulating similar actions on campuses in the United States and elsewhere. In Oxford, the arrests came after students entered a university administrative building on Thursday morning, claiming they had "exhausted all other avenues of communication" with administrators. Oxford University said in a statement that demonstrators had "gone beyond" peaceful protest, and that had "culminated in forced entry and temporary occupation" of some university offices. The university's union, which represents academics, lecturers and staff, condemned "bringing in police to violently arrest" students who were "engaged in peaceful protest".

Source: The Times May 26, 2024 00:07 UTC