The Mancunian Way: 'Every day we stay here is a win'

"We are all here for something bigger than ourselves. Every day we’re here, that we’ve not been shut down, is a win.” Those are the words of Umer, one of the occupants of the Gaza protest camp at the University of Manchester.

Inspired by protests across the US, students began erecting tents at Brunswick Park, on the university's Oxford Road campus, on Thursday, May 2. Since then their numbers are said to have swelled from a few dozen into the hundreds, with the reporter Chris Slater counting 80 tents during a visit after the first week.

University bosses have said they 'fully recognise the right of staff and students to protest within the law’. But they have said the camp 'raises potential health and safety concerns, risks disruption to staff, students and our wider community' and is 'ultimately an 'unauthorised and unlawful use' of the University's campus.' Some Jewish students have also said it has left them feeling 'intimidated’.

Umer, 20, who didn't want to give his surname but who has been at the Manchester camp since tube beginning, said it was vital students were allowed to protest. "If we live in a society where free speech is a thing, then no one should be punished for free speech, he said.

“The only reason more people aren't joining is they are too afraid to speak, they think their degrees could be at risk, and their jobs could be at risk. The fact of the matter is human lives are being taken and speaking about that shouldn't get punished, labelled or misconstrued."

You can read Chris’s piece here

The war in Gaza has also had a big impact on local politics in Greater Manchester in recent months. First came George Galloway’s victory in the Rochdale by-election, then Oldham council went into no overall control