@TheOxStu
Michaelmas Term, Week 7 | Friday 28th Nov 2025
OXFORD STUDENT The
The University of Oxford’s Student Newspaper, est. 1991
Reading, resistance, and solidarity Read more on page 19
Pro-Palestine protesters Meet the Tibetan chef at arrested outside Sheldonian Gloucester Green
Cutout Here
Read more on page 10
Read more on page 3
University hit by Cloudflare outage Gabriella Bedford & Christine Savino
O Anti-Olmert protestors picketing outside the Oxford Union. Image credit: Olivia Miller
Protestors against Ehud Olmert’s visit climb Union walls Will Lawrence, Olivia Miller & Gabriella Bedford
O
n Sunday several student groups gathered outside the Oxford Union to protest former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s visit. This protest was organised by several Pro-Palestine students shortly after his visit was announced. Olmert had previously visited Oxford in November 2023. These groups included Oxford Action for Palestine, the group responsible for multiple encampments last year on various university sites, including the Radcliffe Camera and the Pitt Rivers Museum. Additionally, the protest was supported by Oxford Students Palestine Solidarity and Oxford Against Genocide. Olmert served as Prime Min-
ister of Israel from 2006 to 2009, and led Israel through the 2006 Lebanon War and the First Gaza War, the latter of which was an Israelwi military victory. His premiership faced allegations of corruption and bribery, which ultimately led to his imprisonment from 2014 to 2017. More recently, Olmert has accused the current Netanyahu government of war crimes in the 2023-present Gaza War. In an Instagram post, the student groups highlighted the 1,400 Palestinian deaths in the First Gaza War, and alleged that “he is a war criminal”. Additionally, the groups said: “[He] is a staunch advocate of a two state solution. We know this is a strategy… to normalise the Zionist regime”. The protest was timed to coincide with Olmert’s address in the chamber, which was due
to begin at 4pm. The protestors chanted “Union, union, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide”, “war criminal, arrest him”, and “we are the people, we won’t be silenced, stop the bombing now, now, now”, aiming to be heard from inside the chamber in order to aurally disrupt Olmert’s address. They singled out both Olmert and Oxford Union President Moosa Harraj by name, and criticized Olmert for his actions in the 2006 Lebanon War. Beginning at about 4:15pm, the protestors picketed outside the main entrance to the Oxford Union grounds in an impromptu but collective effort to prevent Union members from entering the event. One organiser announced: “If you’re here to see the Zionist, the war criminal, you’re free to leave.” Continued on page 4
xford University students experienced disruption to IT services today, 18th November, due to an international Cloudflare outage. Students were unable to access Canvas, ChatGPT, and some university websites, while also experiencing disruption to Microsoft 365 services. Cloudflare is an American IT management company who provides a wide range of services including cybersecurity and content delivery.
According to Cloudflare, 20% of all websites use its services in some form. Cloudflare’s Chief Technology Officer Dane Knecht wrote on X today that the outage was due to a “latent bug” that “cascaded into a broad degradation of [Cloudflare’s] network and other services.” In addition to University services, the Cloudflare outage affected many popular websites such as Spotify, X, referencing website MyBib, Zoom, Quizlet, and Canva. Continued on page 4. Read more at www.oxfordstudent. com
Features
Our favourite Oxford cafés for locking in All Features editors
C
ollege libraries get boring quickly, so why not study in a cafe? In these chilly winter months, the only thing that gets some Oxfordians out of bed is the promise of a sweet treat and a hot chocolate, or a quick coffee before your far-away tute. Next time you’re itching to escape an old, stuffy library, consult our section editor’s selections of their favourite spots in Oxford.
Nala: Providing perhaps the best river view in Oxford, The Paper Boat Café is definitely worth a visit – especially during the warmer months and when you bring enough time for some relaxation in their garden. Esme: Tucked in the trail to Jericho, don’t judge this cafe by its small size. Tree Artisan Cafe is a cozy, warm space with incredible coffee and story-worthy latte art - just don’t bring your laptops.
Continued on page 14
Studying with a cup of strong coffee. Image credit: Arturo Anez