The University of Liverpool tells Gaza encampment students: time to pack up and go

Dear readers — welcome to your Post briefing.

A new set of faces now wander the corridors of power in Westminster after Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party won a massive majority in last week’s general election (we were at the count in Southport: where Patrick Hurley completed Labour’s total Merseyside dominance by becoming the town’s first Labour MP). 

And the upper echelons of power at Post HQ will soon be shaken up too: applications to become our new staff writer have now closed — thanks to everyone who shared the job ad far and wide for us!

Today’s Big Story returns to Abercromby Square at the University of Liverpool, where students at an encampment protesting against the war in Gaza (or specifically, the university’s supposed failure to speak up for Gaza) have been told it's time to pack up and go home. A notice sent by the university to the protestors warns that “failure to vacate may result in the University taking legal proceedings to remove you and your tents from the Square.”

Recap: But before we get into that, a quick reminder to check out Ophira and Sophie’s weekend read, about Liverpool’s dominance of the hen party scene, if you haven’t already (as one comment put it: “What a great read! I laughed all the way through”). Here’s a taster:

“The last one to get their knickers on has to take a shot,” she had explained a few moments earlier, shouting over the music in a thick Irish accent. Now every girl has retrieved, seemingly out of nowhere, a large pair of pants with the words ‘Demi’s Hen 2024’ scrawled large across the arse of them, hopping in their heels as they struggle to yank them up over their dresses.”

Editor’s note: If you’re not a member and you’d like to read our members-only stories and support our work, please join now using the button below. After an excellent April and May, we had a slower June for growth (and we can’t even blame the summer weather for luring you all away from your laptops), so let’s get off to a strong start in July.

The big story: The Abercromby kick-out

Top line: University of Liverpool students protesting against the war in Gaza at a makeshift encampment have been given until 6pm tonight to clear out. They’ve been told that failure to do so could lead to legal action being taken.

Context: The encampment on Abercromby Square (land owned by the university) was formed in May and is one of roughly 25 similar protest sites around the UK. The group calls themselves the Students of Alareer Square (referencing the Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer, who was killed in an Israeli military airstrike in December) and they say they want the university to: 

• financially boycott companies implicated in the war (such as Jaguar Land Rover and BAE Systems)
• publicly call for a ceasefire, and:
• launch an investigation into how research projects may have contributed to the war

Why now? According to an email sent by Richard Black, the university’s Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, to all staff and students, “protest activity has escalated over recent weeks, causing distress to members of our community”. That, coupled with the fact graduation week is coming up and there is concern the encampment might disturb the celebrations, is the reason Black has now asked the protestors to pack up.

The threat: According to the university’s statement to the organisers of the encampment, failure to vacate could lead to legal action to see protestors removed from the square. Here’s what that statement said in part:

“As you are aware, the encampment is situated on private land owned by the University. The University of Liverpool, whilst having permitted the encampment to date, does not give permission for the Square to be used in this way. I must therefore ask you to vacate the Square by 6.00pm on Monday 8 July at the latest, so that it can be restored and returned to use by all members of the University community. Failure to vacate may result in the University taking legal proceedings to remove you and your tents from the Square. Any tents that appear to be abandoned will also be removed.”

The Post has been told that clashes between the protestors and campus security have increased in recent weeks. Initially, the protestors sought help from the security teams after they claimed they were being harassed by non-students coming into the square, but felt they hadn’t received much support. According to one source, the mood has become darker in the last week, with ACAB (All Cops Are Bastards) signs going up and one sign calling out the campus PC by name.

A leaflet was also distributed around campus seemingly accusing the campus PC of bringing in cops to “brutalise” students, and the security team of cracking down on students “exercising freedom of speech”. There have been counter-claims that the protesting students harassed people visiting the university on an open day, contributing to the university’s decision to try to shut them down before graduation (the protestors deny any harassment). 

An arrest at the library: Meanwhile, a couple of weeks ago a student was arrested on suspicion of using spray paint to draw a protest symbol by the Sydney Jones Library (but was de-arrested when it was established he had only marked the building with chalk). The student, 21-year-old Casa Walters, told the Echo: “They surrounded me, grabbed me and pulled me into their van. If we're subject to this kind of harassment, anyone is. I'm not paying £9,000 to be harassed and arrested at my own university.”

Conflicting views: When we covered this topic in May, there was disagreement among the university’s staff on how they should respond to the student's demands.

• Some felt the suggestion the university should be weighing in on Gaza was ridiculous (and one told us the encampment does not seem like a “safe space” for Jewish students).
• Others believed internal pressure was building and the university needed to break its silence. “The very nature of remaining silent is just as political of a decision as offering a statement,” one staff member told us.

Bottom line: It’s expected the students won’t leave without a fight. They see the university’s attempt to evict them from the square as its latest attempt to squash their freedom to protest. Meanwhile, the university’s stance is that they’ve allowed a protest on their land to go on for long enough now, and it would be unfair to students graduating to have their celebrations disrupted. Quite how serious the legal threats are is yet to be seen — but the Students of Alareer Square may well put them to the test.

Your Post briefing

An important update about Life Wirral: the Wallasey independent school for children with special educational needs where the BBC exposed staff who boasted about the abuse of vulnerable students. Three arrests have now been made (a 43-year-old man from Meols, a 21-year-old man from Wallasey, and a 26-year-old man from Irby), all on suspicion of child cruelty. Life Wirral was paid £1 million by Wirral Borough Council last year alone and places cost between £50,000 and £150,000 per year per child. After the BBC’s Panorama documentary, Abi delved deeper into the charity’s CEO’s business past. You can read that here.

The Post has been told that Legacie Developments, one the largest developers in the city, is moving in on a deal to purchase a plot of land on the Eldonian Village in Vauxhall. We’ve reported extensively on the Eldonians in the past, most notably in 2022 when it came to light that numerous pieces of land on the village, which had once been communally owned, had been sold to offshore firms in a series of mysterious transfers. There’s no suggestion that Legacie had any involvement in those transfers, but news of its interest in the Eldonian land has caused alarm in the village, some of whose residents are still holding onto hope of the sites returning to community ownership. More info? Email editor@livpost.co.uk. 

Castle Street’s Grade-I listed Bank of England building, which dates to the 1840s, will become an Ivy restaurant after plans were approved. Ivy already has two northwest restaurants, both in Manchester, which are known for their lavish interiors. However, the planners said the building had an “austere character, a contrast with many other banks of Liverpool where wealth is flaunted with fine marbles, gilding and lavish decoration.” Ivy will join a cluster of higher-end restaurants around Castle Street and Water Street, such as Hawksmoor, San Carlo, and (of course) Hooters.

In the eyes of Britain’s list-makers, Liverpool is having quite a moment. Having recently picked up esteemed gongs from TimeOut (seventh best city in the world and eleventh best food city in the world) Forbes is now getting in on the act. Wedged in between Amsterdam and Bordeaux, they’ve ranked us as the world’s twelfth most walkable city. No excuses for failing to hit your step count then.

Home of the week

Embrace the age of repurposed shipping container-style living over in Birkenhead’s Row Houses, part of the massive Wirral Waters developments. This bright waterside property is listed for £245,000 and has four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

Post Picks

🎵 It’s open mic night on Tuesday over at Future Yard — all performers are invited to play two or three songs, ideally with at least one original song. More details here.

🎨 A new series of life drawing sessions kicks off at the Williamson Art Gallery on Friday, headed up by Eve and Sulli of Alt Life Drawing. General admission costs £11.55 and all abilities are welcome.

🍸 An expertly curated tour of Liverpool’s gin scene courtesy of Gin Journey Liverpool (the UK's top-rated gin experience, apparently). It’ll feature four separate venues. Tickets.

🚛 If massive trucks are your bag, the Great North West Truck Show returns to Newton-le-Willows, with more than 400 massive trucks, doing whatever it is massive trucks do. Yes, these trucks are massive. They’re huge. More details here — including about the excellent work the show does raising money for children’s charities.

Recommended reads 

“As Jack Frost [the fictional television detective in A Touch of Frost] once said: ‘I don’t believe in coincidences.’” The Sunday Times speaks to Dr Dewi Evans, whose evidence formed the backbone of the police’s case against convicted murderer Lucy Letby, and who has since become the target of protestors who believe Letby was falsely prosecuted. He says they simply don’t understand the evidence. 

“We want to ruffle a few feathers,” says Walker Art Gallery curator Alex Patterson. “If you’re going to do it, do it with a bang.” At the Walker, John Gibson’s 19th century Tinted Venus is out, while Zak Ové’s Lost Soul IV, a 2006 sculpture of a black child playing in a costume, is in. The switch-up is part of the gallery’s ongoing attempts to explore its links to slavery. You can read the Guardian’s interview with Patterson here.