On Monday the 15th of January, Somerville College MCR passed a motion to release a statement in support of Palestine. The statement expressed the MCR’s decision to stand in solidarity with Palestine, condemning the actions of the Israeli government for targeting and killing tens of thousands of civilians, health workers, journalists and UN employees, as well as displacing the majority of Palestinians living in Gaza. Additionally, in the statement, Somerville MCR called for a permanent ceasefire and restoration of humanitarian aid, encouraging other MCRs and JCRs to join them in their outward condemnation of the Israeli government’s actions. The MCR also urged Somerville College to release a new statement calling for a permanent ceasefire and condemning the disproportionate killing of Palestinian civilians by Israel.

The statement was released after a motion was passed by the MCR via an online ballot. The motion was passed by an overwhelming majority of those who voted. A petition to hold a referendum on the proposed motion was originally submitted on the 27th of December, and a general meeting was held on the 13th of January to debate the motion. 

Somerville College has College of Sanctuary status, meaning that each year it welcomes refugee students and works to create an environment that is safe and inclusive. Members of the Somerville College MCR acknowledged this status, stating that as well as standing in solidarity with Palestine, they also, more generally, ‘stand in solidarity with [all] refugee students past, present and future’ and that they also recognise their ‘responsibility to speak up for those currently undergoing displacement.’ 

In October, Somerville College released a statement, in line with those issued by the University, emphasising that there is no place for racism within the college and expressing grief and sympathy for those affected. However, unlike that released by Somerville MCR on the 15th of January, this statement fell short of calling for a ceasefire.

Full statement 

Since 7 October 2023, the world has witnessed a spectacle of violence in the occupied state of Palestine. We mourn the loss of lives on both fronts, Israel and Palestine, and recognise the pain of those affected. 

Our MCR stands in solidarity with Palestinians facing attacks and bombardment in the occupied Palestinian territories, Gaza and the West Bank. As students of a College of Sanctuary, we stand in solidarity with refugee students past, present and future and we acknowledge our responsibility to speak up for those currently undergoing displacement. 

We condemn the actions of the Israeli government who have targeted and killed over 15,500 people, including civilians, health workers, journalists and UN employees, over 6,600 children and 4,000 women, and displaced approximately 75% of civilians in Gaza [at the time of writing]. According to UN experts, scholars of international law, conflict studies, and genocide studies, these actions are in violation of international law and pose a severe threat of genocide. We equally condemn the targeting and killing of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, killing 254 people and injuring over 3,300 people. 

We acknowledge that the events that have taken place since 7 October have not taken place in a vacuum, but rather need to be understood as part of a history 75 years of occupation of Palestine by Israel. 

The Somerville College MCR calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the targeting of Palestinians in the West Bank. We call for the restoration of humanitarian aid in Gaza to prevent further loss of life and for the restoration of power, water, food and telecommunications. 

We urge the university, all colleges—including our own—and other MCRs and JCRs to join this call. We urge Somerville College to release a new statement calling for a permanent ceasefire and condemning the disproportionate killing of Palestinian civilians by Israel, just as they have condemned Hamas’ actions in a previous statement. 

Finally, we emphasise that there is no place for Islamophobia, antisemitism or any form of racism in our college or in our university.