Birmingham University Students Cleared After Crackdown on Pro-Palestine Protests

By Staff, Agencies

The University of Birmingham has dropped all misconduct allegations against students Mariyah Ali and Antonia Listrat, marking a victory after nearly a year-long disciplinary case rooted in their pro-Palestine activism.

The European Legal Support Centre [ELSC], which supported the students’ legal defense, confirmed the decision on Saturday.

The university’s Misconduct and Fitness to Practise Committee found no evidence of wrongdoing by the students, who had faced accusations tied to protests against the university’s complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

“These proceedings were deeply distressing and racially charged,” said ELSC. “They were based on Islamophobic and racialized assumptions, framing solidarity with Palestine as somehow ‘threatening’ or ‘intimidating’.”

ELSC emphasized that this case is part of a broader, well-documented trend in UK higher education, where university administrations have used disciplinary processes to suppress Palestine-related activism—often targeting Muslim and racialized students disproportionately.

According to ELSC, universities like Birmingham have aligned themselves with UK government policies that fund, arm, and politically back “Israel’s” war on Palestinians. Through financial investments, research collaborations, and political affiliations, these institutions are implicated in sustaining the siege and violence in Gaza, said the center.

In a statement, Mariyah Ali denounced the 11-month-long disciplinary ordeal, calling it “unnecessarily distressing” and detrimental to both their academic and personal wellbeing. She stated their resolve to continue resisting the university’s role in what she called “genocide.”

“The University of Birmingham tried to punish us for protesting its complicity in the genocide of Palestinians—but it failed. Every single charge was baseless. Your attempts to silence us have only strengthened our movement,” Ali said.

Antonia Listrat also defended the right to protest, calling it an essential component of university life. “Funding genocide is violent; protesting genocide is peaceful,” she said, highlighting what she described as the university’s morally compromised position.

This incident comes amid a global crackdown on pro-Palestine activism, especially as “Israel’s” war on Gaza—now in its 20^th month—has killed over 54,700 Palestinians, according to local health officials. In the UK alone, at least 28 universities have reportedly investigated or disciplined more than 113 students over similar activism.