Written by Saira Afzal
Zarah Sultana MP has publicly written to LSE’s President and Vice Chancellor Larry Kramer, calling for a review of LSE’s investment policies and a commitment to protecting freedom of expression. In December 2024, the Coventry South MP shared a two-page letter on her Instagram, which was also sent to Professor Kramer via email.
In the letter, titled ‘Suppression of Student Protest and pro-Palestine Voices at the LSE’, Sultana MP praised the decision to end disciplinary action against the LSE 7, a group of seven students who had been suspended in relation to pro-Palestine campus demonstrations last July. She alleged there are “significant concerns” about freedom of speech and the right to protest on LSE’s campus.
Sultana MP said students’ protests were grounded in numerous recent findings by international bodies. This includes the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) declaration of Israeli policies as apartheid. At the end of 2023, South Africa brought a case to the ICJ accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. In addition, Amnesty International characterised Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide in their report published on 5 December 2024.
Further, Sultana MP criticised LSE for a “reported comparison of the student protest to the 7/7 London terrorist bombings” and “allegations of ‘military-style’ attire”. She argued this promoted harmful Islamophobic stereotypes and undermined both the legitimacy of students’ concerns and trust in LSE’s procedural mechanisms.
Sultana MP called on LSE to protect students’ right to protest and freedom of speech, and to tackle “Islamophobic rhetoric and procedural failures that have exacerbated this situation”. She also called on LSE to start a review ofLSE’s investment policies “to ensure alignment with international human rights standards”.
She concluded her letter by naming LSE as a “hub for progressive thought, social justice and academic freedom”, and said maintaining this reputation required a commitment to ethical responsibility and transparency.
An LSE Spokesperson said:
“Freedom of speech and the right to protest are of the utmost importance to LSE. Our free speech policy is designed to protect and promote peaceful freedom of expression on campus. There have been many instances of peaceful protest about the School’s investments and other issues over the past year that have proceeded without intervention from LSE.”
“We will take measures against protestors only if a protest crosses the line into illegality, is threatening or harassing to individuals, or significantly disrupts our community or important School business. We opened an investigation after the 7 July protest because the methods alleged to have been used by the protestors met these conditions. The protest significantly disrupted the Summer School registration and resulted in complaints from multiple members of staff that they felt intimidated, harassed, and threatened.”
“Any mention of the 7/7 London bombings or comments about protestors’ clothing came from witness impact statements by individuals who were present, describing how they experienced the protest and how it affected them personally. These witness statements were part of the investigatory file, which we shared with the students under investigation. LSE did not share the statements or anything about their content more widely.”
“LSE is committed to ensuring we have an inclusive culture of equality, diversity and respect that supports all students and staff and promotes an environment that is free from discrimination. This this is underpinned by the LSE Anti-Bullying and Anti-Harassment Policy.”
“Likewise, LSE is committed to strengthening our approach to responsible investment in line with our Environmental, Social and Governance Policy, Following recent discussions within the LSE community, a full review of the policy is currently being undertaken.”