Pro-Palestine protests at two Barcelona universities come to an end

The pro-Palestine students camped out at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) ended their protest on Thursday night after a week.  

The demonstrators regretted that their protest had not forced the university's governing board to consider their demands, which they said had been "repeatedly ignored." 

The students called on the board to suspend all agreements with Israeli universities, companies and research centers, as well as continuing to host students who have become refugees due to the conflict.  

They also proposed cooperation with a Palestinian university for student exchange, academic training, promotion of research, and other cultural, social, and economic ties. 

Although the board has committed to implementing the proposals set out in a motion voted on last Thursday, the students say they are "insufficient."

They argue that it will not lead to "real changes," such as cutting ties with companies that "collaborate in this genocide."

Therefore, they have decided to end the camp-in, which they do not interpret as a "defeat," but rather as "the beginning of new ways of fighting."

Students block access to UPF

Meanwhile, a new pro-Palestine protest started at Barcelona's Pompeu Fabra University (UPF). 

A group of students spent the night at the Ciutadella campus, blocking access to the facility until around 9 am, when they allowed staff to enter.

By the afternoon, the protests ended and activity at the university returned to normal, after classes had already been suspended until 2 pm.

The students criticize the "insufficient" position UPF's Governing Council took this week, and call on the dean to break relations with companies and institutions in Israel.