“No Freshers as Usual During Genocide”: Student-led protest takes place during Freshers’ Fayre

On 9 September, during the University of St Andrews’ annual Freshers’ Fayre at the Student Union, about 80 people — including students, local residents, and Rector Stella Maris — gathered outside for a pro-Palestine protest. 

The demonstration, organised by St Andrews Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), was promoted on the group’s Instagram with the slogan “No Freshers As Usual During Genocide.”

SJP lists two main goals on their Instagram: The first, for the University to divest from the company Siemens, which they state provides surveillance infrastructure and energy to Israeli settlements, a contribution they describe as illegal under international law.

The second goal is for the University to cut ties with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The University and College Union of St Andrews issued an open letter in August calling for the University to end its links with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and similar institutions. This letter, which SJP also shared on Instagram, remains open until mid-October for students and staff to sign.

The Saint reached out to the head organiser of the protest, fourth-year student Sage Wilson, who stated that “the student movement has been in intermittent communication with the University about our demands over the last couple of years — demands which have stayed relatively the same.” She added, “Students for Justice in Palestine (with rep[resentatives] from other societies) are currently setting up meetings with the University.”

“This is the second time the Palestine movement has held a demonstration in a more public-facing area of St Andrews, and we had students stood watching from outside the Union and listening/clapping to the speeches, some even coming to join us, members of the public clapping as they walked past, affirmative car honks,” said Wilson.

Wilson added that “there is certainly a thread of anger or sadness woven through protests, particularly amplified when our speakers touch on the devastating events we are faced with [...] If we normalise public attention on this issue, more people will talk about it and perhaps be encouraged to take part in collective action against institutional complicity.”

“For the University to show that they are taking the voices and opinions of their students seriously, they must disclose their current financial investments (the July 2024 financial statement wasn't released until early this year, and again they are late in releasing the 2025 statement) — and divest from companies on the BDS (Boycott Divestment, Sanctions movement) list, as well as from Israeli academic institutions whose scholarship helps to further the apartheid system,” Wilson stated.

Alice Hodges, President of Union Affairs, spoke to The Saint about how the Union was helping represent student voices on the current Israel-Gaza war: “Last year, our Campaigns & Impact Co-ordinator and the Director of Wellbeing & Equality at the Union developed a Student Activism Guide, which, amongst other things, covers safety, practicalities, and the legal context around protests in Scotland and the UK more widely.” The President continued, “As Your Union, we are committed to supporting students to make their voices heard through peaceful protest or other forms of activism.”

The Saint contacted the University for comment regarding the student-led protests on demands for divestment and cutting ties with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, but received no response by the time of this article’s publication.

Image provided by Alex Milton