Written by Amy O’Donoghue
Students at LSE have launched a new edition of the Agitator, a self-proclaimed “revolutionary pamphlet” first created in the 1960s by the LSE Socialist Society. The magazine, led by members of LSESU Students for Justice in Palestine, combines academic and creative work highlighting what they describe as LSE’s “complicity in overseas colonial regimes and its repression of student movements on campus”. On 3 October 2025, students, staff, and alumni gathered to promote the release of the new issue and discuss its contents with a panel of contributors.
The event began with Anna, an outgoing Master’s student and an editor of the Agitator, discussing its history and relevance today. The first ever issue, published in 1966, criticised the links between Walter Adams (then-director of LSE) and white-minority rule in Zimbabwe. Alumni who were involved with the formation of the very first issue were in attendance at the relaunch.
The new issue highlights that LSE invests “£72 million in egregious companies and financial institutions involved in crimes against the Palestinian people”. Anna described the death and destruction in Gaza and the repression of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. She called everyone to “ground ourselves in this reality, not to lose ourselves in despair, but to honour the martyrs and remind us of what is at stake”.
The panel consisted of contributors to the Agitator 2.0, such as Professor Kumar of the Social Policy department, Professor Salem, and Professor Taha of the Sociology department, and Sociology students Nihal Yaldir and Dan Brown. They proceeded to discuss their specific interests in Palestine and the student movement.
Brown claimed that LSE has £2 million invested in BP, which owns an oil pipeline that is the “key source of oil for Israel” and what he describes as the “lifeblood of the Israeli economy and the Israeli war machine”. LSE also has historical links with BP, such as a professorship scheme which was established following a donation made by BP to LSE. He stated that “wherever BP does their work, it involves violence and suppression”. LSE emphasised to The Beaver that their investments are not direct.
Salem and Taha then discussed the contents of their piece in the Agitator 2.0, entitled ‘What is a University For?’. They talked about how whilst people often question whether a university should even be a space of politics, it is now more important than ever to push the university as “a space of inquiry and radical refusal”. They questioned why tuition fees are “being invested in the arms trade” and highlighted that whilst staff may want to organise in protest, it’s hard to build a community of resistance when people are “destabilised by casualised contracts”.
A spokesperson for LSE told The Beaver, “we are committed to strengthening our approach to responsible investment in line with the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Policy, which was recently reviewed.”
They highlighted that a Review Group of experts from LSE and a Consultative Group comprised of members of the LSE community have both provided a “thorough assessment” of the School’s investment policy in the past year.
They also told The Beaver that freedom of speech was of the “utmost importance” to them and asserted that they only intervene in a protest if it crosses the line into illegality or violence.
Referencing the most notorious instance of protest being stifled on campus, which involved seven pro-Palestine students being suspended after a protest in July 2024, LSE stated: “The action was initiated after we received multiple complaints from staff – who observed first-hand and heard from students seeking to register – that the protesters, with covered faces, physically obstructed their work and efforts; used loud megaphones in an enclosed inside space; shouted in people’s faces; and behaved in a manner that intimidated and frightened people. We could not responsibly ignore these complaints and allegations, which required us to initiate an investigation and disciplinary proceedings, even if some who were present may not have been upset or may have a different perspective.”
FULL STATEMENT
“We are committed to strengthening our approach to responsible investment in line with the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Policy, which was recently reviewed.“
“The Review Group was comprised of experts from across the School to oversee the process and make recommendations to Council. To further facilitate the work of the Review Group, a separate Consultative Group was created, consisting of nine members of the LSE community (both staff and students) to provide insight and feedback across the year. The review itself included a thorough assessment of the policy and addressed questions raised by LSE students and staff related to the School’s investments.”
“Freedom of speech and expression are of the utmost importance to LSE and underpin everything we do. Our free speech policy is designed to protect and promote lawful freedom of expression on campus, including the right to protest. LSE will only take measures against protestors if a protest crosses the line into illegality, is threatening to individuals, or significantly disrupts the community.
“The action against the students who took part in the demonstration on 7 July 2024 was initiated after we received multiple complaints from staff – who observed first-hand and heard from students seeking to register – that the protesters, with covered faces, physically obstructed their work and efforts; used loud megaphones in an enclosed inside space; shouted in people’s faces; and behaved in a manner that intimidated and frightened people. We could not responsibly ignore these complaints and allegations, which required us to initiate an investigation and disciplinary proceedings, even if some who were present may not have been upset or may have a different perspective.”
