A US diplomat’s talk to over 100 students in The Wave building was brought to a halt by a group protesting the American government’s stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Rita Rico, strategic communications advisor at the American embassy in London, was in the process of delivering her speech on Monday morning when protesters began disrupting the event, leading to it eventually being called off.
In an email to students sent on the morning of the talk, Dr James Weinburg, Senior lecturer of political science at the University, described the cancellation as “enormously disappointing for a number of reasons”, which included the high turnout and that “a lot of planning had gone into the event”.
A member of a wider delegation from the embassy who had travelled to Sheffield, she had agreed to talk to students in the department of politics and international relations about careers in diplomacy and international affairs.
A student who attended the talk, who wished to remain anonymous, described how the protest unfolded, amidst an “uncomfortable” atmosphere in the room:
“Five minutes after Rita began speaking, a student stood up and started shouting about the conflict in Gaza. Straight after that, 3-to-4 other students in the room stood up and shouted as well, with one showing a Palestine flag. People outside of the workroom also came to the windows and placed Palestine flags on it.
In a brief moment of silence, the diplomat offered to talk about it and engage in a discussion, only to be followed by more chants and shouting.”
Finally, Rita Rico was “escorted out of the room”, and those in attendance were “told that the event would be cancelled”.
In the same message, Dr Weinburg expressed his frustration at the incident:
“As a University, I believe that it is vital for us to protect freedom of speech (including the right to protest), but we should also extend that same courtesy to those who give up their time to join us on campus.
When Rita offered to engage protesters in a conversation this morning, I was disappointed that this offer was declined and the protesters simply chanted louder.”
The University offers support for those affected by the Israel-Gaza conflict here and provides guidelines for the behaviour of those protesting on campus here.
