Dual protests at the Science Museum and Queens Lawn
Parents for Palestine and Palestinian activist groups at Imperial held protests on Thursday
Two protests occurred around Imperial College’s South Kensington campus on Thursday 10th October. The first was a call for divestment towards the Science Museum by activist group Parents for Palestine occurred between 11:00am and 12:30pm, and the second was the first protest of the year by a bloc of pro-Palestinian activists based at Imperial College from 12:30pm to 1pm.
A separate protest took place on the Queen’s Lawn – a group of around 30 protesters congregated with Palestinian flags and banners, accusing the UK government of complicity in the Israel Defense Forces’ campaign in Gaza, as well as criticising Imperial College for its connections with companies such as BAE Systems, which have supplied technology to Israel.
Several speakers – including a member of the University and College Union (UCU) – directed the crowd, which grew to some 80 participants, in denouncing the inaction of the College, the UK, and the US alike, with chants such as “Keir Starmer, shame on you. Joe Biden, shame on you. Imperial College, shame on you.” One speaker said: “Biden has bloodied his hands.”
Among the attendants were members of the Imperial Friends of Palestine society, as well as the independent group Imperial Action for Palestine; also present were members of the Socialist Workers Party and an unknown Communist organisation – both distributed publications during the event.
Parents for Palestine is a “a UK-based grassroots collective of parents and caretakers from all backgrounds” according to their website. This protest was the fourth they have enacted against the Museum and Adani Green Energy partnership.
The protest was held because the “trustees have their quarterly meeting today”, said the activist. The group has also delivered a petition with 10,000 signatures requesting the Science Museum drop Adani Green Energy as its sponsor. The activist said that the Science Museum campaign was their “main divestment campaign at the moment.”
“Someone in our group was in touch with activists at the College”, said one of the Parents for Palestine protestors. “We have one ask and it’s that the trustees for the Science Museum drop Adani [Green Energy] as a sponsor.”
In a press release seen by Felix, the activists call for divestment due to links between Adani Group – whose majority stakeholder Gautum Adani also occupies the same position in Adani Green Energy – and Israel. Adani Group has been said to have been involved in “the manufacture of military equipment for the IDF including the Hermes 900 drones (with Elbit Systems), as well as assault and sniper rifles.”
The Science Museum said that the Trustees had not convened today as they had “met earlier this week,” adding that a new gallery on sustainable energy was “made possible by generous sponsorship from Adani Green Energy, a major renewable energy business.
“Globally, massive growth in renewable energy is required and we need the energy sector as a whole, alongside governments, to step up to this challenge.”
Adani Group has been reached for comment.
Monday 7th October marked the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on the Nova music festival and several surrounding kibbutzim, killing 1,200 people, and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s ensuing offensive in Gaza has killed over 41,000 Palestinians according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
