On Wednesday 26 November, students across London gathered to protest King’s College London’s decision to report student Usama Ghanem’s visa to the Home Office over his involvement in pro-Palestine protests. The decision may result in Ghanem’s visa being cancelled, his deportation to Egypt and likely persecution.
Usama Ganghem, a KCL student who has faced disciplinary action and indefinite suspension after participating in pro-Palestine protests, will risk having his visa revoked and return to persecution in his home country. This occurs following the University’s decision to officially report it for review to the Home Office on 28 November.
After a visa is officially reported to the Home Office, it is standard procedure that if the latter decides to terminate it, the person involved is granted 60 days before they must return to their home country. In the meantime, they are allowed to apply for an alternative visa in an attempt to stay in the UK.
On Instagram, several activist groups have reported that a final decision has been taken and that Ghanem has been granted a “60-day grace period”. Among these, the Association of Student Activism for Palestine (ASAP) and KCL Stands for Justice (KCLS4J). Roar has not been able to independently verify this information.
On Wednesday, 26, a group of around 60 students rallied outside of Strand Building to protest KCL’s decision, hoping to pressure the university to reverse the course of its actions.
A member of KCLS4J stated that the group was there “in support of Usama Ganghem.” Expressing their concern for the student’s safety if deported, the spokesperson continued, “he is at risk of persecution, imprisonment, and torture in his home country: a risk that KCL and Shitij Kapoor are aware of.”
The student also criticised the university for giving “27 students disciplinary action due to protesting [KCL’s] complicity in genocide”.
When asked for comment, a spokesperson for King’s said: “We want to make it absolutely clear that we do not discipline students for lawful affiliations, including support for pro-Palestine views, nor for participating in lawful protests. Any disciplinary measures are taken solely in response to breaches of our policies and regulations which are in place to maintain a safe and inclusive environment on campus for everyone. The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is our highest priority and proportionate action is only undertaken following a robust investigation, conducted in line with our policies and procedures, and only when behaviour has been found to be in breach of these regulations. “
They continued, “We are proud of our long history of upholding the right to freedom of expression and the right to lawful protest. Many peaceful protests, vigils, and events that reflect our diverse student body have been—and will continue to be—held at King’s.”
Roar spoke to a student from the London School of Economics (LSE) attending the protest who, when asked about his participation, declared, “I know all too well what a weak-willed and backboneless university looks like, and it’s a travesty we have to gather here.”
“To KCL, to LSE, and every university: we are many, we are legion, and you will never stop us.”
The protest was, however, met with some scepticism. An onlooking member of the public, not affiliated with King’s, expressed he feels “disillusioned by the whole thing of protesting” as he questioned “whether they [protesters] really understand what’s going on.”
He stated, “I think you can feel very empowered in the moment when protesting,” but argued that “a lot of the time it’s about yourself more so than a bigger cause.”
Nine police vans were stationed in front of the Strand Building with officers surveilling the protest, which remained peaceful throughout the entire time.
Roar asked a student attending if they felt safe participating, to which they responded, “Absolutely not. I think it’s disgusting that peacefully fighting against genocide is considered a terrorist act, and is considered something that someone should be jailed for.”
The student also noted that “it is disgusting that people have to cover their faces and protect themselves while protesting,” addressing the high number of students hiding their identities with keffiyehs.
Arguing against this, another onlooker asserted that “people are more free to protest”, however, he also noted that “what you don’t tend to consider is the ramifications of what you are doing or how it affects other people.”
The protest was also attended by Ghanem himself, who was previously interviewed by Roar, and who offered a closing speech which was received by a largely supportive response from the protesters.
He declared, “We are not protesting here for Usama”, continuing, “we fight our fight for the Palestinian people who have been fighting against the Israeli occupation for 76 years.”
“The dangerous precedent that King’s College London is trying to set today is that if we dare oppose genocide…King’s will cut down on us, King’s will do anything in its hands to terrify every single one of us”, he concluded.
The campaign against King’s decision has reached students across London and received widespread support: from online petitions, to rallies, to open letters being signed by both students and members of staff, the backlash against the university has continued since the breaking of the news.
Most recently, KCLS4J and KCL Students for Justice for Palestine (KCLSJP) advertised a phone blockade on their Instagram pages. On 25 Tuesday . KCL Your Party set up a stand in front of the Strand Building, asking passing students to write “letters of support [to Ghanem] to the university administration.”
A student at KCL pointed out the importance of university protesting, noting that “historically students have played a big role in dealing with tough moral and ethical problems as they are actively pursuing an understanding of the world.”
He also argued that “the capacity for change reigns true in students in a way that more jaded older people do not see the world.”
