The pro-Palestine activists who have been protesting at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto since Thursday received, on Sunday, the order to demobilize by 8 pm today or "means will be used" to remove them.

In an open letter, to which Lusa had access, the signatories - professors, researchers and workers - express their "solidarity with the students fighting against the ongoing genocide in Palestine" and ask that "police or any kind of intervention that aims to expel them from a space that is theirs" be not used against the students and at [their] faculties.

They also defend that "the way forward is open and transparent negotiation" between the students and the governing bodies of the institutions.

In the document, known today, the signatories also side with the students, supporting their main demands, namely demanding that the university "immediately breaks off all relations that it has with Israeli institutions and companies" and condemns the "genocide in Palestine".

It is also asked that UP use "its influence" to urge the Porto City Council and the Portuguese Government to "condemn the atrocities committed by the colonial state of Israel".

Among the signatories of the letter are the professor of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto and former PCP deputy, Manuel Loff, and the sociologist, also a professor of the Faculty of Arts and former leader of the Left Bloc, João Teixeira Lopes.

After the order to demobilize from the management of the Faculty of Sciences, the pro-Palestine activists scheduled a demonstration for this afternoon, in front of the faculty.

Since early morning, the students have been "meeting and deliberating democratically in assembly", in order to decide what their next steps will be, a decision that will be made after a meeting, this afternoon, with the management of the Faculty.

Regardless of whether the occupation is maintained or not, the students guarantee that the actions in defense of the Palestinian people will continue.

The group of activists states that "the academic community - not only students, but also teaching and non-teaching staff - has clearly demonstrated its support for this cause, as well as members of civil society".

This protest had its first moment over a week ago when about fifty students complained to the rector of the University of Porto about the breaking off of relations between the academy and the State of Israel.

On Thursday, the students continued the protest at the Faculty of Sciences, where they set up camping tents to shelter during the 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".

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 the 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 the local authorities controlled by Hamas, and left the enclave in a serious humanitarian crisis.

Read also: Activists at the Faculty of Sciences of Porto have order to demobilize (Portuguese version)