Palestine solidarity campaign

Sheffield UCU stands in solidarity with Palestine. Learn about how we are supporting the Palestinian people, and holding the University to account for its involvement in the conflict in Gaza.

Palestine solidarity group

Overview

We have formed a Working Group on Palestine to coordinate our efforts on campus, organise for Palestine and the Palestinian educator sector, and to protect and empower our members to organise for Palestine.

To get involved, email a.menon@sheffield.ac.uk.

Branch Motions

Sheffield UCU has passed motions in solidarity with Palestinians and supports the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) movement for holding the University accountable for its involvement in Israel.

How is the University involved in Israel?

The University of Sheffield Genocide and Apartheid Complicity Report (PDF, 17.2MB) found that the AMRC and its associates are leading fundamental research on manufacturing processes, materials and technologies explicitly for the arms industry.

Between 2012 and 2022, the University received £72 million in direct funding from arms manufacturers, more than any other UK institution. Currently, the University is conducting research costing tens, if not hundreds, of millions of pounds that is connected with arms manufacturers and/or perpetrators of apartheid in Gaza.

For information on organising in the workplace to hold the University to account:

Workers in Palestine toolkit

The state of academic freedom in the University

In the last two years, the University of Sheffield has shut down discussions/activities/events relating to Palestine. They have imposed a range of disproportionate security measures against staff and students, and have spent over £248k between January – December 2024 in policing Palestine related protests.

In September 2024, a Palestine teach-in was cancelled by the University. We were told that any event to do with Palestine and Gaza was ‘controversial’ and thus required an independent assessment by University Security and agreement to any ‘restrictions’ before it could go ahead.

Despite this, our members have continued organising and continue to do so despite the restrictive measures.

Letters of support for Sheffield UCU members organising for Palestine

Several academic and advocacy groups have voiced their concerns about the University’s suppression of pro-Palestine discussions on campus:

Open Letters sent by UoS Staff members regarding Palestine solidarity on campus

Staff members at the University have written to the VC regarding suppression of academic freedom, defending the students right to protest and against the violence of campus security:

Solidarity with Unions in Palestine

The Palestine Solidarity group has received the below call for support from the teachers union at Birzeit University, located in the West Bank, Palestine.

Scream for Gaza — Do Not Forget the People of the Tents (Union of Teachers & Employees of Birzeit University Ramallah – Palestine) (PDF)

Media Coverage

Read some of the media coverage of our activities and events:

Students Are Catching Their Universities in Bed With Arms Companies | Novara Media
UoS Management Response to Complicity Report Launch | Now Then Magazine
The University’s arms links and their response to protests | Now Then Magazine

Upcoming events & activities

Any upcoming events will be published here.

Past events

UCU Fundraiser for Palestinian Student

On 14 October 2025, colleagues from across our university came together for a social event and fundraiser in support of a new student arriving from Gaza who had recently begun their studies at Sheffield.

The social was well attended by staff from many departments, schools and disciplines, and it was fantastic to bring everyone together to discuss how we can help students practically. Together, we enjoyed a drink, conversation, and the opportunity to meet other colleagues keen to support students from conflict-affected regions.

In total, the event raised over £1000 which has been subsequently used to help the student purchase a laptop and essential study materials as they begin their academic journey here.

However, we are aware of other students still stranded in Gaza who have not been able to reach Sheffield to begin their studies this academic year. UCU is keen for the university to share more information on why these students were unable to join us, and what the university is doing as a designated ‘university of sanctuary’.

Capacity building and workplace organising workshop

In March 2025 we participated in a capacity building and workplace organising workshop Palestine with Ellen David Friedman from Labor Notes. Ellen provided a wealth of knowledge on effective workplace organising based on her 50+ years of experience as an organiser in the US trade union movement.

The training provided a useful space to reflect on our challenges and plan for the Palestine solidarity campaign on campus.

Reading and discussion group

We ran a 2-part participatory online session in Jan/Feb 2025 introducing Workers in Palestine’s ‘Organising toolkit for university workers’ for our University of Sheffield community. In this current climate of shared precarity and uncertainty over job security, it’s more important than ever to build solidarities, networks of care and organising capacity. We sought ways to join up these efforts with ongoing struggles against UK university complicities in genocide and scholasticide in Palestine.

The organising toolkit was launched in 2024 by Workers in Palestine as a shareable resource for university campuses with examples of organising efforts from UK and USA-based universities. Both sessions will facilitate ways to collaboratively think through how we can use this toolkit.