The key facts

  • Amnesty International UK reports sanctions, suspensions and campus bans for actions 'from chanting to wearing keffiyehs'.
  • The report covers events from 7 October 2023 to 30 September 2025 and accompanies the student campaign Defend Dissent.
  • Universities mentioned in the report include King's College London, Cambridge, Oxford and LSE.

Amnesty report on suppression of Palestine solidarity

The human rights organisation Amnesty International UK on Tuesday published the report 'Silencing Dissent: UK universities' response to Palestine solidarity on campus', which claims that a number of British universities suppressed pro-Palestine solidarity. According to the organisation, students and staff at some well-known universities faced sanctions, suspensions, campus bans and threats to their visa status for actions the report describes as 'as simple as chanting, clapping and wearing keffiyehs'.

Findings of the study

Amnesty claims that sanctions and threats were used to restrict solidarity with Palestinians, including statements that could be perceived as criticism of Israel. According to the organisation's assessment, the restrictions described in the case studies often did not meet the high thresholds of international and British law for interfering with political speech and peaceful assembly. The report also states that visibly Muslim students and those displaying symbols of Palestinian identity were disproportionately affected, that sanctions were often imposed before disciplinary hearings were completed, turning precautionary measures into punishments, and that universities sometimes treated peaceful protest as trespassing — including in spaces such as campus squares, foyers and student union buildings where protests had been held for decades.

The case of Usama Ghanem and other examples

The report mentions the case of 22-year-old student Usama Ghanem, suspended by King's College London in 2025 for participating in pro-Palestine activism; according to the report, he was instructed to 'return (to Egypt) for the period of the suspension'. He himself said: 'For protesting against a genocide our university funded and demanding divestment, I was suspended indefinitely, placed under surveillance and faced deportation.' His suspension was lifted after a review in September 2026. The report also cites cases of pressure on students and staff at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Amnesty's response and the Defend Dissent campaign

The report covers events from 7 October 2023 to 30 September 2025 and accompanies the student campaign Defend Dissent, which calls on UK universities to sign and implement the Defend Dissent Charter. Amnesty International UK chief executive Kerry Moscogiuri said: 'This is an attack on our freedom of speech and right to protest by the very institutions that should be fostering free thinking.' According to her, students and staff empathise with the victims of 'Israel's genocide in Gaza', while some well-known universities see this as a 'threat' requiring punitive measures such as injunctions and harsh punishments. She also described what is happening as 'part of a broader suppression of communities' speaking out on the issue of 'Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza' and other matters of concern to them.