SOAS Expels Haya Adam, President of the Palestine Society, Over a Video Criticizing an Elected Student Representative

Haya Adam, a British student of Egyptian origin studying law and international relations who enrolled at SOAS (University of London) in September 2023, president of the SOAS Palestine Society, and a leading figure in the “Liberated Zone” encampment, was permanently expelled from the university in August 2025/ one of the first cases of its kind in the United Kingdom.

The reason cited by the disciplinary committee was a violation of the code of conduct (harassment, abusive behavior, operational obstruction), related to a video posted on January 16, 2025, on the encampment’s Instagram account. In the video, Adam criticized a co-president of the student union, Safia Shaikh, whom she described as a “careerist” and accused of serving institutional oppression. Shaikh, however, stated publicly during a student union debate in February 2025 that she did not consider the video to be harassment.

The expulsion follows an indefinite one-year suspension imposed in July 2024 for alleged harassment of Vice-Chancellor Adam Habib. In October 2024, the University of London had also obtained a High Court injunction requiring Adam and two other students to seek prior authorization before holding any protest on campus. The encampment has since moved to the sidewalks outside the campus grounds.

Adam’s appeal was denied; she can no longer complete her degree and is considering legal action.

SOAS denies imposing any sanctions based on pro-Palestinian views or activism, asserting that it disciplines only acts of vandalism, disruption of exams, or threats against staff, and highlights the fact that numerous events and demonstrations are held on its campus.

The decision sparked a widespread reaction, including a petition signed by 97 academics calling for her reinstatement and a statement issued by the BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom on September 10, 2025. The committee considers the sanction disproportionate to the alleged offenses, notes that harassment under British law (the Equality Act 2010 and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997) requires an act based on a protected characteristic or repeated conduct causing distress, and maintains that political criticism of elected officials is part of democratic debate.