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University staff are reportedly trapped inside the building without access to toilets. One witness told the Daily Mail: “They are literally locked in their offices with no access to toilets"
Protesters entered the university building at 8am on Thursday and by lunchtime, a number of Police officers had arrived at the scene, with one van bringing police dogs.
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OA4P issued a callout on social media for students to join their protest, and criticised the university for “meeting student protesters with police violence and arrests.”
The group labelled Oxford University’s vice-chancellor, Professor Irene Tracey a “liar”.
In a letter shared on social media, OA4P said “The vice-chancellor's continued silence on Gaza makes us vulnerable to further violence, and we can no longer wait idly while she refuses to meet with us.”
They chanted “Oxford all through history committed to complicity.”
Anti-Israel protesters set up so-called "liberated zones" at Oxford University's Museum of Natural History on 6 May. Similar encampments have been erected at the University of Cambridge and other UK institutions after protests in the USA.
The demonstrators call for their universities to cut financial ties with Israel, recognise a Palestinian state, and, in some cases, support calls for a set of extreme demands that supports “the rights of the colonised people to resist against occupation”.
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A spokesperson for Oxford Action for Palestine said: “Today, Oxford students staged a peaceful sit-in to demand that the University meet with us after two weeks of non-response.
“Instead of engaging in dialogue with her students, the vice-chancellor chose to evacuate the building, place it on lockdown, and call the police to make arrests.”
Thames Valley Police said: 'We are aware of an ongoing protest at Oxford University this morning. We are in contact with the University and if anyone has any concerns then please speak to one of our officers in the area.
“Whilst we are dealing with this, we ask that any photos or video of the incident is shared with us and not on social media.
“We will provide an update when we are in a position to do so.”
