A group of about 10 students gathered yesterday at 1pm in front of the Strand Building “in solidarity with students in the US”, and to protest against the killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis.
The participants were mainly members of the King’s College London Socialist Worker Student Society (KCL SWSS) and taped posters on the building’s walls denouncing ICE and the Trump administration.
Shortly after the posters were hung, a security guard told the group that he would have to report the signs and took photos of them.
Protesters were also shouting slogans such as “No borders, no nations, stop deportations,” and “F*ck ICE, f*ck deportations.”
The walkout comes after Renee Macklin Good was fatally shot in her car by an ICE official on 7 January in Minneapolis, where President Trump has deployed 3,000 federal immigration officers.
The immigration enforcement operation has been described as a “military occupation” and “a siege” by local newspapers, and was met with tens of thousands of Minnesotans marching in Minneapolis. Following Good’s killing, new protests have erupted in the city and in the rest of the country.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that Good had “weaponised” her vehicle and was targeting ICE agents. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has taken over the investigation of the case and relieved state authorities of their responsibility, leading to further tensions.
The walkout at King’s was advertised through a joint Instagram post calling for justice against ICE and “the far right”. Along with the KCL SWSS, other student groups endorsing the protest were the Intersectional Feminist Society and the KCLSU LGBTQ+ Network.
The protest on Strand Campus was organised in response to a call to action by anti-fascism and anti-racism activist group Stand Up to Racism, advertised on their website.
Due to a significantly small turnout, the participants of the protest chose to remain on Strand Campus and write solidarity messages, which they planned to send to sister organisations in the US.
Talking to Roar, organiser and committee member of KCL SWSS Marie alleged that, despite lots of online support, the turnouts for protests have been getting smaller and smaller due to intimidation tactics by police officials.
Another reason she provided for the small turnout was that “King’s is in a unique position,” with campuses spread out all across London, “you can have people joining the walkout in all campuses, but only have three on Strand.”
Another protester commented on the size of the gathering: “Even if it’s just a small protest, it’s a protest nonetheless. The main thing is that solidarity is being shown.”
According to the KCL SWSS committee member, the walkout was also organised with the intention of raising support leading up to a London-wide march against the rise of the far-right set to take place on 28 March. The event is organised by the Together Alliance, which comprises more than 120 civil society organisations, including Stand Up to Racism.
