Adam added that she had chosen to attend SOAS because she believed “this was a decolonial institution... I believed that I would get an anti-colonial education whilst having a space where I could speak up against injustice.”
Branding the university “a tool of empire and imperialism” she insisted she would “continue to fight for our Palestinian brothers and sisters by any means necessary.”
However, the university has refuted the suggestion that Adam was expelled on the basis of her pro-Palestinian views and involvement in protests.
While it would not comment directly on Adam’s expulsion, the university referred to “a small number of cases involving serious misconduct – such as vandalism, exam disruption, and threats to staff”.
Last year, the police entered the encampment and arrested seven people.
Adam, 21, has been a visible participant in the 15-month-long presence outside SOAS.
A university panel ruled last week that the student had breached the institution’s code of conduct, including for an allegation of harassment. That allegation centres around a video posted to the encampment’s Instagram page, which is still live on social media, in which Adam claims the SOAS student union co-president's tenure “served institutional oppression” and calls her a “careerist”. She has argued the allegation of harassment is "completely false".
One SOAS graduate, who works for campaign group Cage International, filmed himself burning his master’s certificate in protest over the decision to expel Adam and accused the university of being “heavily complicit in violence”.
Asim Qureshi, research director at Cage International, burnt his Soas degree certificate over Adam's suspension (Photo: Instagram)[Missing Credit]
Others have signed a petition demanding SOAS reverse Adam’s expulsion.
In a statement, a SOAS spokesperson said: “We want to make clear that we do not and have never expelled or disciplined students for pro-Palestinian views or protests. While we cannot comment on individual disciplinary cases to respect student privacy, the past 19 months have seen hundreds of peaceful events, vigils, and protests take place on our campus that reflect a vibrant culture of free expression at SOAS.
“In a small number of cases involving serious misconduct – such as vandalism, exam disruption, and threats to staff – we have taken appropriate action to uphold the safety and integrity of our university.
“We remain devastated by the loss of life in Israel on October 7 and the ongoing destruction of Gaza, and we continue to call for an immediate ceasefire, as we first did in 2023.”
