The Head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK, Dr. Husam Zomlot, has addressed over 200 student reps at an NUS England event. This comes as NUS UK and students’ unions have been supporting Palestinian scholarship students to get to UK universities.
The Palestinian Ambassador, Dr. Husam Zomlot, has addressed the National Union of Students’ England democratic event in Coventry. In a speech to student reps from over 80 students’ unions, Ambassador Zomlot said “Education is the lifeline of the Palestinian people. It is exactly why we have been able to survive all these years.”
This comes as NUS UK has worked directly with the Minister of State for Universities and Skills, Jacqui Smith, on the evacuation of scholarship students from Gaza. As all universities in Palestine have been destroyed during the recent conflict, studying abroad is now the only option for young Palestinians striving for a degree. NUS UK continues to call for both “evacuations and high-quality support for Gazan students on their arrival in UK institutions”.
Introducing the Ambassador, Saranya Thambirajah, NUS Vice President Equality & Liberation said: “The struggle for Palestinian liberation is one of the defining issues of our time, and we are very privileged to hear from the Ambassador today; to have the opportunity to work together as a movement to amplify Palestinian voices and further this vital mission.”
In his speech, the Ambassador Zomlot shared “Together we have changed what was once thought to be unchangeable. Although we have achieved much, there is much more to do. The journey to freedom is long.” He later added “I call on you to help rebuild our education system. 90% of schools have been destroyed, 100% of our universities bombed. Two years our students have not been able to go to our classrooms.”
Responding afterwards, Amira Campbell, NUS National President said:
“We are grateful and honoured that Ambassador Zomlot has come to visit our event today, and taken the time to speak with student reps. It was powerful to hear his reflections on the strength of transnational solidarity in the student movement.
“As Gaza recovers and rebuilds, ensuring the next generation of Palestinian leaders can get an education will be a global effort. I am proud of the campaign we ran over the summer to ensure that Palestinian scholarship students were able to get to the UK to study, and we will continue to call for evacuations and high-quality support for Gazan students on their arrival in UK institutions.
“The student movement can be a powerful force for good, and I hope we can come together to support our Palestinian classmates. We need to see Universities stepping up to support, and the Government to continue to the safe passage of scholarship students.”
Media contact:
Georgina Russell, Press Manager
