@TheOxStu
Michaelmas Term, Week 1 | Friday 18 October 2024
OXFORD STUDENT The
The University of Oxford’s Student Newspaper, est. 1991
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University offices sprayed with paint OxStu News Team
O Imran Khan speaking at Chattham House Image Credit: Magnus Manske via Wikimedia Commons 2.0
n the night of Sunday 13th October, Palestine Action sprayed the University Offices with paint and damaged the ground floor windows. The main entrance of the Wellington Square building was sprayed with red paint and the front door appears to have been smashed. By 5 PM today, much of the paint had been removed but the glass entrance remains blocked off. Palestine Action have said this was done to “symbolise Palestinian bloodshed”, stat-
ing that the University “is an investor in Israel’s biggest weapons producer, Elbit Systems” and “maintains close ties to Israel by investing in similarly destructive companies”. Palestine Action are a national protest group who describe their aim as “harnessing the strength of the grassroots and directing it towards bringing down Israel’s war machine”. They have previously targeted Barclays Bank and damaged factories linked to Israeli defence and technology company, Elbit Systems. Continued on page 4
Aide believes “no legal reason” for Khan Starmerism: 100 days in power disqualification Comment
Anandita Abraham and Cameron Samuel Keys
T
he list of Candidates running to be Oxford Chancellor was released this morning by the University. Despite announcing his candidacy on 18 August from jail, Imran Khan’s name was not present on the list. Applications for Chancellor, the position of “titular head of the University” were considered by the Chancellor’s Election Committee “solely on the four exclusion criteria,” the University announcement reads. Asked about the disqualification, Syed Bukhari, Khan’s aide, said to The Oxford Student: “I think its extremely disappointing and Oxford University has definitely missed the trick here. Imran Khan is the
voice of many people around the world and his popularity shows through the petition signed by students, alumni and faculty and there was absolutely no legal reason to disqualify him, so its extremely, extremely disappointing.”
“There was
absolutely no legal reason to disqualify him, so its extremely disappointing — Remarks by Khan’s aide On the University’s reasons for exclusion and whether they might apply, he said: “It’s a grey area so it’s a matter of interpretation. We considered
many KCs, barristers and solicitors prior to applying, and our interpretation of the law is that he is absolutely eligible.” Burkhari, stated on X that his lawyers have contacted the University about the reasons for the disqualification. The four exclusion criteria are: a) the Chancellor cannot be a student of the University; b) the Chancellor cannot be an employee of the University; c) the Chancellor cannot be a serving member of, or a declared candidate for election to, an elected legislature; and d) the Chancellor must not be disqualified from being a charity trustee by virtue of section 178 of the Charities Act 2011 and and must be a “fit and proper person”. Khan is neither a student of the University nor an employee... Continued on page 4
Emma Heagney
O
n July 5th Keir Starmer had just won a landslide, taking over from the most incompetent administration in living memory, and outside Downing Street he made his first speech as Prime Minister. “My government will serve you,” he promised the country. Yet in a hundred days of office, he has succeeded in pleasing nobody and antagonising ev-
erybody. He possesses a suicidal mania for choosing policies calculated to upset as many people as possible. Means-testing the winter fuel payment guaranteed a quarrel with both left and right – one side was outraged by his attack on the vulnerable, the other by his attack on their voter base. Imposing VAT on private schools undermined the worst-off private-school pupils – by pushing costs further into the... Continued on page 10
A picture from outside Downing Street. Credit: Garry Knight