George square protest: Worth the effort

In an interview with The Journal shortly before his election to the Edinburgh rectorship, Iain MacWhirter expressed a desire to concentrate on issues where he could have a direct impact, saying: “Frankly, it's difficult for the rector to resolve the Arab-Israeli dispute.” MacWhirter was far more enthusiastic, however, about the “dignity and idealism” of the students who occupied the George Square Lecture Theatre in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Edinburgh students are no more likely than their rector to play a decisive role in ending the decades-old struggle in Palestine – a fact which drew almost limitless scorn from opponents of the protest. But do such criticisms miss the point?

On page 21, Harry Cole lambasts the “noble warriors” of George Square, ridiculing them for “sitting around drinking herbal tea while furiously checking the Blackberry.” Everyone is by now familiar with the caricature of the sandal-wearing student activist, and the George Square protestors presented an easy target for critics such as Cole's Conservative club.

But much of the criticism they received was unduly harsh. Far from a bunch of idle troublemakers, the demonstrators were part of a well-organised, synchronised operation at more than 20 universities across the country, which attracted notice nationally and overseas. Comparisons with the protests of 1968 are overblown – yet in a society where the right to public protest is increasingly under threat, and where the younger generation is under attack for alleged political apathy, such a large number of students joining peacefully to support a common cause should inspire a measure of respect.

Some of the protestors' rhetoric was naïve and unhelpful – in particular, the insinuation that Edinburgh University's refusal to condemn Israel's actions in Gaza constitutes a “complicit silence.” Such a condemnation would be unprecedented and wholly inappropriate. It is vital that British universities should maintain their nonpolitical status, and the idea that silence on the matter implies support for the Israeli government is absurd. But other demands were welcome and well thought through. Critics of the action would struggle to argue that the protest achieved nothing in a discussion with the five Palestinian students who will now receive scholarships to study at Edinburgh, while the forthcoming lecture and debate series should serve to broaden understanding and meaningful discussion of the Middle East.

The response to sit-in protests at some other universities was troubling. Nottingham University sent in private security agents to remove protestors by force; Sheffield Hallam lured participants away from a protest with promises to refrain from legal action, before suspending them from their courses as an example to others. Such muscular behaviour is profoundly counterproductive, serving only to ensure that student resentment over these issues will continue to fester over the coming months.

By contrast, Edinburgh's reaction was commendably restrained: by negotiating sensibly with the protestors, while maintaining a firm stance against their less reasonable demands, the university ensured a swift, mutually acceptable resolution of the dispute. British students might prove unable to alleviate humanitarian crises overseas – but it would be an enormous shame if we were therefore to resolve not even to try.