University of Sheffield students have disrupted the Wave building’s official opening ceremony in support of Palestine.
Approximately 100 students entered The Wave building calling for the end of the universities ties with the arms trade which they claim are funding Israel’s attacks on Palestine.
They were also calling for an immediate ceasefire.
A spokesperson of the University of Sheffield, said: “We recognise the strength of feeling about the situation in Israel and Gaza and we support the right of students to express their views peacefully and within the law.”
“We also want to remind our students of the behaviour expectations around protests and that racism, antisemitism, islamophobia or support for proscribed organisations are against the law.
The protest caused an approximate 30 minute delay to the ceremony.
The group could be heard chanting “free Palestine”.
Four people wearing balaclavas and waving the flag of Palestine camped in front of the opening ribbon on the stairs.
The ribbon was then moved inside of lecture theatre one of the building where they continued with the ceremony.
The university also said: “We understand that the issue surrounding the conflict in Israel/Gaza can affect many different groups of people – including our students, staff, and alumni.”
“We encourage students with concerns to seek support from university support services.”
Police were seen entering the building at 5.15 pm where they spoke to members of staff outside of a lecture theatre.
Construction of The Wave, which initially started in 2019, cost the university £99 million after initially having to knock it down to rebuild after faults.
The building is also carbon net-zero, using electricity to do all its heating and cooling.
If the conflict has affected you in any way, the University of Sheffield’s support services can be found here.
