Female staff at University College London (UCL) are making a bold statement by shaving their heads in solidarity with Palestinian women in Gaza. This act of protest is part of a larger movement calling on UCL to divest from Israel and boycott Israeli universities.
On Wednesday, two female staff members and an alumna stood in front of a crowd at UCL and shaved their heads to draw attention to the plight of Palestinian women in Gaza who are forced to shave their heads due to a lack of access to water. May, a technician at UCL, was the first to take the brave step of shaving her head in front of hundreds of academics and staff gathered to commemorate Nakba Day.
May explained her decision by highlighting the dehumanization suffered by Palestinian women in Gaza and the need for UCL to divest from companies profiting from Israel’s actions in Gaza. She emphasized the importance of standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people and holding UCL accountable for its investments in arms companies and banks supporting the ongoing conflict.
Elle, a lecturer at UCL, also shaved her head in support of the cause, calling for an end to research partnerships with Israeli universities. She expressed her ethical obligation to ensure that her work does not contribute to the denial of dignity and humanity to the Palestinian people.
Their protest is part of a larger movement within UCL, with hundreds of academic staff joining calls for an academic boycott of Israeli universities. Similar protests have been seen at other universities in the UK, including King’s College London, the London School of Economics, and Queen Mary University.
Meanwhile, at the University of Cambridge, a pro-Palestine student campaign has escalated with students occupying the lawn outside the university’s central management building. The campaign began with demands for divestment from companies involved in Israel’s actions in Gaza and has now moved to a new phase with an encampment set up at the iconic Senate House.
The protesters at Cambridge are demanding transparency from the university regarding its relationships with companies complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. They are calling for an end to these relationships, support for Palestinian students and academics, and a commitment to protecting academic freedom.
As the protests continue to grow and gain momentum, universities are facing increasing pressure to take a stand on the issue of divestment from Israel. The actions of the staff at UCL and students at Cambridge are a powerful reminder of the importance of solidarity and activism in the fight for justice and human rights.