Last month police questioned students on campus after recieving allegations that one of the posters featured a member of Hamas.
The university had been told about the visit but students were not warned. Some said they felt “intimidated” after being ‘interrogated’ by these police officers, students told The Ferret.
The officers asked students for their names and contact details, and details of any individuals they suspected may have put the posters up. Police carried out their questioning unaccompanied by university staff.
Following the police visit, 78 PhD students in the social and political sciences department sned a formal letter of complaint to the head of the school, John Devaney. The university responded saying they appreciated the students must have been “taken aback”, but that it would always try and assist the police.
This letter is the latest in a series of complaints made to the university surrounding Palestine.
The PhD students who sent the letter of complain admitted to feeling “shock” that officers were “allowed to wander freely through the building” and question any students without warning.
They further said in the letter that the allegation that one poster featured a Hamas member is unsubstantiated. They claimed that the questioning by police was an attempt to stop them expressing support for Palestinians.
Police Scotland told The Ferret they recieved a complaint about “the contents of a poster” displayed in the 22 George Square’s windows promted the visit. At the time, students had placed posters with the faces of around 60 Palestinian’s killed by the Israeli military since 2023.
22 George Square. Image via Google Maps
They also said they had informed the university officers would be visiting in advance. They added that they did not recieve any complaints about the visit. Edinburgh University told The Ferret they have a responsibility to assist with police investigations.
The complaint Police Scotland recieved alleged one poster showed a Hamas operatie, however students said the police pointed to a poster showing Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif.
Al-Sharif was Al Jazeera’s Gaza corresondent. The Israeli military falsely accused al-Sharif of being a Hamas operative, according to the International Committee to Protect Journalists. No evidence has been found to support the claim that he was linked to Hamas.
Al-Sharif was killed by the Israeli military weeks later in a press tent.
Rae Carlile was the first student questioned by the police. They told The Ferret: “It’s extremely intimidating to just be getting on with work, when suddenly the police appear and start questioning you. The university doesn’t seem to care about the impact this has had.”
They added: “If any department should understand the importance of memorialisation and solidarity, it’s the social sciences. But now we’re being intimidated by the police for doing that.”
Another student, using the pseudonym Fernanda, told The Ferret: “By authorising this visit the university completely abdicated its dury of care to migrant students… I have no faith that the university will protect me if I’m in harm’s way.”
She added: “Police Scotland needs to answer to this. By this standard, tomorrow I could make a complaint about a poster with Keir Starmer’s face on it and say ‘hey that’s a known Hamas member’ and they would investigate it and start questioning everyone. It’s insance they didn’t check.”
An Edinburgh University spokesperson told The Tab Edinburgh: “The university words hard to ensure that all members of its diverse community – including students, staff, partners and visitors – feel safe, supported and able to participate fully in campus life.
“Our code of conduct is in place to maintain a respectful environment, and any concerns about safety and wellbeing are taken seriously.
“While we can’t comment on individual cases, we have a responsibility to cooprerate with the police and assist in their investigations.”
Police Scotland confirmed the poster was not of criminal nature and no further action will be taken following this investigation.
The posters have since been removed.
