Police move in after pro-Palestinian protesters sit-in at Oxford university building

Police have interrupted a pro-Palestinian protest in Oxford after student demonstrators organised a peaceful sit-in at a university office building.

Footage posted online by the Oxford Action for Palestine group showed police pushing protesters from the steps of the admin office building in Wellington Square after a group of students staged a demonstration in vice chancellor Irene Tracey's office.

One student was seen being carried out of the building on a stretcher by four officers and put into the back of a police van. It is not thought the person was injured.

Others were then filmed being pushed to the floor and dragged by their coats as they sat on the road outside the office building appearing to block a police van.

The campaign group said 16 student protesters have been arrested since they began the sit-in at 8am Thursday morning, but this has not been confirmed by police.

A group of around 75 students later gathered outside a building where the heads of all university colleges were meeting, demanding that leaders negotiate with the group and those who have been arrested be released.

"It is evident that the administration would rather arrest, silence, and physically assault its own students than confront its enabling of Israel's genocide in Gaza," a statement from the group on X said.

Wave of student protests

The demonstration was part of the ongoing protests against the war in Gaza by students across the US and Europe.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden have denied what is going on in the country is genocide.

Mr Netanyahu also remained committed to continue the military action that began after the Hamas attack on 7 October.

Eyewitness: Protesters call for 'negotiation' and the release of those arrested

By Mollie Malone, news correspondent

Aside from the more typical pro Palestine chants we've heard at protests for many months now, student shouts of "what do we want, negotiation" can be heard outside a meeting of Oxford University college leaders.

This is a pre-planned event where the heads of each college gather to discuss general issues of university governance.

A group of around 75 students, staged outside the meeting, are taking issue with the university's stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict and are calling for uni leaders to engage with them.

"We are calling on them to push the uni to negotiate with us at Oxford Action for Palestine. We're also calling for those arrested to be freed," said Amytess Girgis, a PHD student at Oxford.

This follows a gathering of students this morning who staged a sit-in outside the university administration building, with a banner of six demands for university leaders, all relating to their stance over the war in the Middle East.

"Instead of talking with her students, the vice chancellor chose to evacuate the building and call the police on them," Amy, another protester, told Sky News.

Police can be seen parading up and down the street, with cameras. At the moment it looks to be casual surveillance rather than interacting with the students.

But that’s different to this morning - where the students say around 16 arrests were made.

Thames Valley Police said in a statement that it was "aware of an ongoing protest at Oxford University this morning".

It said it was in contact with the university and urged anyone with concerns to speak to officers in the area.

On 6 May a "liberated zone encampment" was set up outside the Pitt Rivers Museum in the university city.

Students listed six demands - including for the university to demand closure of all university-wide financial assets that benefit Israel - and claimed they would not leave until all were met.

According to the Oxford for Palestine organisation, other demands include: divest university-wide assets, overhaul investment policy, boycott institutional relationships, drop Barclays bank and rebuild and reinvest.

Similar encampments are also still in place at Cambridge University and have been seen in cities including Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol, Dublin and Leeds.

The University of Oxford has not commented but has previously said it "respects our students and staff members rights to freedom of expression in the form of peaceful protests" but said the establishment is "no place for intolerance".

Sky News has contacted the University of Oxford for further comment.

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