Dear colleagues and students,

We strongly and unreservedly condemn the raid on SOAS by the UK Border Agency on Friday 12 June, the deportation of several cleaners and the underlying government policies which will adversely affect UK higher education, and SOAS specifically, in numerous ways in the future. We think it is very important for all UK universities to challenge these policies and practices. We would like SOAS senior management to play an active and public role in this campaign.

At the same time, we strongly oppose the way some students, staff and members of the general public have hijacked SOAS’ reaction, and have made, for the most part,  unrealistic and impossible demands upon School management. The occupation of the Director’s office, the crass and disrespectful treatment of Professor Paul Webley, the use of cameras and the threats of French-style ‘kidnapping’ were intimidating, unjustified, and wholly out of order in a university environment.

We find it frustrating that the Director and senior management were unable to distance themselves immediately and explicitly from the Border Agency’s actions. However, we also find the allegations that SOAS senior management was ‘taking revenge upon the cleaners’ utterly ludicrous.

We are pleased to note that an agreement has been reached that led to the end of the occupation. We now urge senior management, the trade unions, the students’ union and other SOAS interest groups to engage in a constructive debate about what can be done to 1) help those cleaners still under detention in the UK, 2) prevent these deplorable events from happening again, and 3) identify the most productive avenues to challenge the underlying government policies most effectively.

Nadje Al-Ali, Chair, Centre for Gender Studies

Stefan Sperl, HoD, Near & Middle East

Rachel Harrison, HoD, South Asia & South East Asia

Michel Hockx, HoD China & Inner Asia

Bernhard Fuehrer, HoD China & Inner Asia (term 2)  

Rachel Dwyer, Indian Cultures & Cinema (future HoD, South Asia)

Jaehoon Hoon Yeon, HoD Japan & Korea

Alfredo Saad Filho, HoD, Development Studies

Akin Oyetade, HoD, African Studies

Ulrich Kratz, AD Research, L&C

Parvathi Raman, Chair, Centre for Migration & Diaspora Studies

Lynn Welchman, HoD, Law

Benjamin Fortna, HoD, History