Chancellor Rachel Reeves met by protesters during visit to Leeds University campus

Rachel Reeves was met by an organised protest during her visit to the University of Leeds.

The current Chancellor of the Exchequer and MP for Leeds West and Pudsey visited the university last Thursday (12th March) to introduce a public lecture about women’s rights.

Before Reeves’ arrival, a group of protesters congregated outside the university’s Great Hall to express their objection to her presence on campus.

The demonstration began at 5.30pm, and drew a considerable crowd of attendees who remained there for over an hour.  A number of police officers were also present, although no disorder of any kind or any subsequent arrests have been reported. 

The area on campus where the protest took place

In a video of the protest shared on Facebook, attendees can be seen carrying placards and banners emblazoned with slogans such as “War criminals off campus” and chanting “Rachel Reeves, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide.”

The protesters also engaged in numerous chants calling for a “Free Palestine” and accusing Reeves of having “blood on [her] hands” in relation to the current conflict between Israel and Palestine.

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In the days leading up to Reeves’ arrival, the Leeds branch of the Revolutionary Communist Party, who assisted in organising the protest, handed out flyers on campus denouncing the university’s decision to invite her to the event and encouraging students to join the planned demonstration. Its intention was clear, with the words “Kick Reeves off campus” printed on the front of its flyer.

The flyer continued: “Her [Rachel Reeves] government has lent its full support to the death of thousands of women and girls in Palestine, Iran and countless more. It has invited Peter Mandelson to join the Labour government, fully aware of his disgusting involvement in the Epstein files.”

It went on to criticise the university’s decision to invite Reeves to campus, saying: “The fact that the university think that any young person would want to hear from Rachel Reeves and her right-wing cronies is laughable. University management are completely out of touch.”

The speech the Chancellor was visiting to introduce was led by former Trades Union Congress president and Labour peer Frances O’Grady. It is part of the Department of Politics and International Studies’ annual Alice Bacon Lecture, a lecture series the university organises each year to celebrating “the achievements of pioneering women.” 

Rachel Reeves, the Labour Party, the University of Leeds, the Home Office Treasury and the Revolutionary Communist Party have been contacted for comment.

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Featured image before edits via official Number 10 Flickr feed (under Open Government License).