WORKERS and students across the UK will stage walkouts on Wednesday in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

The Stand With Gaza workplace day of action – organised by Stop the War Coalition (StWC) and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) – will involve half-hour stoppages, early morning and lunchtime protests, student protests and rallies in a bid to put pressure on the UK Government to call for a permanent ceasefire.

As part of the day, trade unionists will be gathering at the Glasgow City Chambers at midday to send a message to Westminster.  

Among the other planned actions are a lunchtime meeting of council workers in Portsmouth and a rally of lecturers and students in Manchester. 

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Meanwhile, the Media Workers for Palestine group has organised a protest and rally outside the BBC Broadcasting House in London. 

Preliminary investigations by the Committee to Protect Journalists have found more than 80 journalists and media workers have been killed in Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, and Lebanon.

In central London on Wednesday, civil servants and other workers will join a lunchtime demonstration in Parliament Square called by the PCS union.

Chris Nineham, StWC vice chair, said: “February 7 will mark a major escalation in our campaign against Israeli genocide. It’s shaping up to be the biggest day of action yet.

“For the first time people in hundreds of workplaces, universities and colleges around the country will walk out, protest or rally. 

“For the first time three national unions, the NEU, PCS and UCU have backed workplace action for Palestine.

“The planned actions show our anti war movement is growing, but also growing more militant.”

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Members of the Glasgow Against Arms and Fossil Fuels (GAAF) student group have been staging an occupation of Glasgow University's 11 University Gardens building over the past fortnight in protest at the institution's financial links with firms contributing to loss of life in Gaza.

Security staff entered the building on the morning of February 6 and confined occupiers to one room on the ground floor of the building. They are now being threatened with eviction.

A member of the occupation told The National that the students have had no access to toilet facilities since security staff went inside. 

An email sent to all Glasgow University staff said the university had decided to lock the doors on the night of February 5, with the occupiers being permitted to exit the building but not re-enter.

It is understood the university's deputy vice chancellor David Duncan was to negotiate with the occupying students on Tuesday.

To find out more about the day of action, click here.