University camp shut down — but protestors vow to fight on

Good morning readers. In more normal times, we would have published the edition you’re about to read yesterday afternoon. Instead, we thought it was more important to publish Dan’s brave and very sobering report of the riot in Rotherham on Sunday — you can read his first-hand account here.

Many people were understandably horrified by the events he described, in which rioters smashed the windows of a hotel housing asylum seekers and pushed a burning bin up against the building. “Excellent report Dan. So upsetting. I’m from Rotherham, still live here and feel so ashamed,” said Eileen Brooks. Cllr Sioned-Mair Richards, the last Lord Mayor of Sheffield, was keen to point out that more than 100 locals went to the hotel yesterday morning to help clear up the mess. “All outraged that their small town of Wath had been portrayed as a racist enclave.”

For today’s big story, we’re focusing on a far more peaceful protest, which finally came to an end after more than 90 days last week. The pro-Palestine encampment outside the University of Sheffield might have finally been evicted, but those involved assured us that they haven’t given up the fight.

As well as that, Sheffield triumphed over its own far-right rally this weekend and Richard Hawley outlines a day in his life.

Catch up

For our weekend read, Dan waded into the mires of a controversy that has divided the people of Sheffield. Is the cartoon art featuring typical Sheffield slang — be reyt, mardy bum, etc — an endearing celebration of our local dialect or the “Disneyfication” of working-class culture? You can read that piece here.

Last week, we sent out two great newsletters to our 2,235 paying members. In the first, freelancer Melissa Blease spoke to the founder of “Crone Club,” a group celebrating older women. In the second, we planned to write about an easy way the government could make it far easier to get a GP appointment — only for said government to do exactly that just as we were about to publish. 

The big picture: Sheffield rejects the far right

On the same day that rioters attacked the hotel for asylum seekers in Rotherham, a similar far-right rally took place in Sheffield city centre. Unfortunately for the handful of agitators that showed up, they were vastly outnumbered by a huge crowd of counter-protestors. This lovely photo from Greg Ford (@FordWrit on X) shows only a fraction of those who came to support refugees.

Editor’s note: I hope you’ll indulge me (Dan) in a slightly longer editor’s note today, but the events of Sunday have given me a lot to reflect upon. 

On my way to the planned disturbances in Wath upon Dearne, I had no idea whether I was going to see something similar to the muted protest in Sheffield city centre, or something much more akin to the rioting in Southport. It turned out to be the latter — with the violent scenes leading national and international news bulletins. Standing amongst rioters who were swearing, smashing things up, and trying to set fire to a hotel (with who knows how many vulnerable people inside) was one of the most disturbing experiences of my life.

Did I want to be there? No, not really. I can think of better ways to spend a Sunday. 

But there wasn’t really an option. My job is to bring the people of Sheffield the news that matters to them. Sometimes that means pottering around the coffee shops of Nether Edge, chatting with locals about how the area is changing. And sometimes it means attending a far-right riot on the edge of Rotherham.

As with much of our journalism, we put the whole story out there for free. We know that lots of people can’t afford to pay for news, and when something is of such vital public interest of course we aren’t going to put up a paywall. 

But here’s a statistic I’d like people to reflect upon. Of the 27,000 plus people who will receive this e-mail, fewer than one in ten are paying members. They fund the news that the other nine receive. It's thanks to them that I could be there on Sunday to file my report.

Again — I really understand that some people can’t afford to pay for news. But I suspect there are many out there who can (for context, it’s less than two pints a month) and are wondering whether it’s worth it. I’ve always thought the answer to that is yes — but the events of the weekend throw it into particularly sharp relief.

In the social media age, the far right rely on two tactics. The first is the deliberate spread of misinformation — such as the completely false rumour put out that the Southport murderer was an Islamic migrant who had recently crossed the channel. And the second is the defence mechanism of the human brain, which quickly overrides rational thought when sensing danger.

Most of those I saw at the riot weren’t card carrying members of fascist parties. Most were locals. But they’d come to believe (or chosen to believe) a narrative that somehow connected asylum seekers stuck in a hotel in South Yorkshire with the horrific — and entirely unrelated — actions of a teenager in Merseyside.

And this is why proper news matters. At The Tribune, we take the opposite approach — thoroughly researched articles that only go out when we’re sure of our facts, delivered at a slow enough pace to capture the nuance. When so much falsehood is out there, and tempers are running high, then proper reporting — a person, on the ground, gathering the actual facts — is more essential than ever.

So if you’ve been appalled by the scenes over the weekend, and feel powerless in the face of them, here is one concrete step you could take: support our reporting. Fact-based reporting is the antidote to toxic misinformation. 

More unrest is being planned this week. If it goes ahead, we will be there to cover it. We can’t, on our own, stop the riots. But we can shine the harsh light of truth on those who think they can do so much damage with no accountability.

That’s not a plea for charity. As a member, you get extra articles. In fact, some of our most uplifting and hopeful recent reporting — like the fight back by Sheffield’s libraries against austerity, or gorgeous photo essays — only went out to our paying members. At times like this, that stuff is good for the soul.

And finally, to those who are paying members: thank you. You keep the whole thing running. Without you, I might have spent Sunday afternoon in a beer garden.

The big story: University camp shut down — but protestors vow to fight on

Top line: Last Thursday, the pro-Palestine tent city outside the University of Sheffield was dismantled on its 93rd day. The encampment, organised by Sheffield Campus Coalition for Palestine (SCCP), was created to protest the university’s links to arms manufacturers and thus its indirect involvement in the war on Palestine. Activists insist that, though their tent city may have been evicted, their fight will go on.

Early morning eviction: According to the Tab, bailiffs arrived at the camp at 5am on 1st August, accompanied by five police officers. The handful of people remaining had been expecting them and went quietly. The eviction came just under a week after the University of Sheffield was granted a court order on 26th July, allowing it to evict the “persons unknown” who had been living on campus since 1st May. In an email sent to students after the order was granted, the university’s chief operating officer Robert Sykes wrote: 

“Please be assured that this action has not been taken lightly. Despite numerous attempts to enable a peaceful protest, we must take action to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and visitors, and to ensure that there are no further risks to the University’s business.”

‘A space for life’: Meanwhile, in a statement posted to X, SCCP insisted the encampment was a “truly welcoming, safe and inclusive environment” where students, university staff and their supporters could learn, pray and share food together. On the camp’s final night, it hosted a screening of 200 meters, by Palestinian filmmaker Ameen Nayfeh. “In our fight against institutions of death,” the SCCP account wrote, “we have truly created a space for life.”

‘Institutional complicity’: This year students at more than 30 UK universities formed encampments in support of Palestine, urging their alma maters to cut any ties with the arms trade. Between 2012 and 2022, an FOI request from Councillor Minesh Parekh revealed that the University of Sheffield had received more than £70 million from arms companies, while its Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre partners with companies like BAE and Boeing. 

• Camps in Nottingham, Bristol and a number of other campuses were also shut down after universities secured court orders to evict them.
• However, the University of York agreed to divest from weapons and defence-related companies, while the University of Cambridge has promised to engage with protestors’ demands. The University of Sheffield has made no such promises.

No defence: Following the six-hour hearing about whether to evict the Sheffield encampment on 26th July, Judge Baddley said he had no choice but to grant the possession order, since no defence had been offered by those involved in the camp. According to The Tab, those who organised the protest declined to defend themselves in court because they could not do so anonymously and feared disciplinary action from the university. As shown by our story from last June — about two students banned from campus for holding up a banner — the consequences for any students identified could have been extremely serious. 

The fight continues: However, despite being evicted, SCCP insist their fight is not over, although they seemingly have yet to decide what form it will take in the next academic year. On X, a spokesperson wrote: “We know that the fight did not start nor end with the SCCP Encampment for Gaza, and we will continue to organise and mobilise until the University meets our demands to cut ties with genocide.” The university, meanwhile, has previously responded to criticisms of its links to arms manufacturers by stating that its “connections with industrial partners” means the institution “can help to influence positive change and accelerate more sustainable manufacturing practices."

The Weekly Whitworth ✍️

Cartoonist James Whitworth with his own take on our weekend read about the rise and rise of Sheffield slang art.

Coming up

This week, readers can expect even more excellent reporting from The Tribune, including a piece on trouble involving two of the city’s main trade unions and an in-depth report on Sheffield’s ambition to become an even greener city from our regular contributor David Bocking. Yesterday’s piece was originally supposed to be one of our paywalled editions but we felt it was important for it to be read as widely as possible. 

This week’s weather 🌥

Our weather forecast comes from dedicated Sheffield weather service Steel City Skies, who say low pressure will mean a windy and changeable pattern through the week ahead.

Tuesday ⛅️ Early showers clear east to leave a fresh and breezy day with sunny spells. Highs of 23C.

Wednesday 🌦️ Bright spells and blustery showers with winds still gusty from the southwest. Highs of 22C.

Thursday ☁️ A warm front brings increased cloud and a few mainly light spots of rain. Remaining windy with highs of 21C.

Friday ⛅️ Bright or sunny spells and a few scattered blustery showers likely. Yep, still rather windy with highs of 23C.

Weekend outlook: Low confidence, with a likelihood of changeable weather persisting with sunshine and showers, with winds from the southwest.

To see the full forecast and keep up to date with any changes to the outlook, follow Steel City Skies on social media.

Our media picks 🔗

PM slams 'far-right thuggery' after hotel violence Prime Minister Keir Starmer has warned the hundreds of people who rioted outside a Rotherham hotel this weekend that they “will regret taking part” in “far-right thuggery”. The BBC reports that no hotel staff or inhabitants were reported injured after the shocking events, although at least ten police officers were hurt, including one officer who was knocked unconscious. Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield said officers from South Yorkshire Police are working hard to identify those who took part in the riot, adding: “They should expect us to be at their doors very soon.”

Man, 30, accused of Sheffield rioting sobs in court and calls out to mum The Metro reports that a man accused of taking part in the riot in Sheffield this weekend has already made his first appearance in court. Curtis Coulson, 30, denied one charge of affray but was refused bail and remanded in custody until he can face trial. The Star reports that another far-right agitator who protested in Sheffield was briefly attacked by counter-protestors.

Richard Hawley: ‘Why my wife stayed with me I don’t know’ And, for some less depressing reading, Richard Hawley spoke to the Sunday Times about what a day in his life looks like. “Even if I’m out walking the dogs I try to look presentable,” he told them. “My grandad was brought up in the slums in Sheffield, but he’d always shine his shoes and put on his best shirt when he was going out. If those men — shellshocked after the war and brutalised by heavy industry — could make an effort, so can I.”

Home of the week 🏡

This four-bedroom home in Millhouses is going up for auction online on 29th August, with a guide price of £575,000. It’s a pretty big place with some lovely original features and also comes with outline planning permission for a detached bungalow in the back garden, if you were so inclined. Find out more here.

Tribune Tips: If you want to tell us about a story or give us some information, please email editor@sheffieldtribune.co.uk. We are always happy to speak to people off the record in the first poll instance, and we will treat your information with confidence and sensitivity.

Things to do 📆

Lego 🧱 On from now until 18 August at 17 locations across the city centre is Safari, a lego nature trail organised by Sheffield Bricktropolis. Safari is a unique collection of lego models featuring a series of impressive animal sculptures. Each model is located at a different venue in the city centre, forming an interactive and fun trail made from more than 500,000 lego bricks. Download a map from the website or pick one up for £1 at Brick Central on Surrey Street.

Art 🖼️ On at the Old Chapel Gallery in Nether Edge from now until Sunday is Shine, an exhibition of paintings by Steven Montgomery inspired by legendary abstract artist John Hoyland. Hoyland was born in the city and had a posthumous exhibition The Last Paintings at the Millennium Gallery in 2021. After visiting the exhibition, Steven Montgomery loved the works so much he decided to create his own. The exhibition is free and the gallery is open 11am-5pm.

Gladiators 💪 From now until 14th August, fans can apply for a free ticket to watch the new series of Gladiators being filmed at Utilita Arena. Admittedly Dan didn’t enjoy himself much when he attended a filming last June but, if it sounds more up your street, you can apply for a ticket here. You’ll want to be quick about it though because, at the time of writing, only places for the 8th and the 12th remain.