"Unless the faculty administration decides to listen to us and change its position, we will stay here day and night at least until tomorrow [Monday]", said Carolina Moreira, according to whom communication with FCUP "has been limited to daily dialogue with the security guards of the facilities".

"They are the ones who tell us whether or not we can use the bathrooms, they are the ones who tell us what the administration has decided about access to the building, which has not been the same every day. We have no contact with the administration", said the student who, with dozens of other colleagues, has been camping for four days at the door of the Computer Science department.

This protest had its first moment a week ago when about fifty students complained before the UP rectory about the break in relations between the academy and the State of Israel.

On Wednesday, the students gathered at the Faculty of Fine Arts and decided to continue the protest at the Faculty of Sciences, where they set up camping tents to shelter themselves at night, surrounded by Palestinian flags, candles and banners with phrases such as: "Proletarian solidarity for a Free Palestine", "Israel is not a democracy, Israel is a terrorist country" and "The revolution starts here".

Today, to the Lusa agency, Carolina Moreira said that "without active listening [by those responsible for FCUP] they will not demobilize" and reiterated the reason for this protest, which during the day, according to the same source, has brought together "between 80 to 100 people" and at night "never less than 25".

"Our goal is debate and discussion focused on the liberation of Palestine, as well as on breaking off relations with the State of Israel. Both the UP Rectory and the Faculty of Sciences know this, they know what we demand", said Carolina Moreira.

Today, after a student assembly, sessions that have been repeated over the days with the intention of outlining new initiatives, it was decided to open the assemblies to civil society and prepare a cultural event.

"On Wednesday the assembly will be open and on Friday we will promote a cultural program. Everything will be dealt with throughout the week. More and more students, but not only, have shown solidarity with this protest, reviewing the reason that brought us here", she concluded.

The ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the attack by the Islamist group Hamas on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, which caused about 1,200 deaths and two hundred hostages, according to Israeli authorities.

In response, Israel launched a large-scale military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has already caused over 35,000 deaths, mostly civilians, according to local authorities controlled by Hamas, and left the enclave in a situation of serious humanitarian crisis.

Read Also: Middle East. Protest at the Faculty of Sciences of UPorto will continue (Portuguese version)