- Please forward this message to all your contacts in LSE

- Please sign our petition – stop ID checks at the LSE now
 http://www.petitiononline.com/LSEID/petition.html

- Refuse ID checks: Meet at 1pm on Thursday, 22.1 on the fourth floor of
the Old Building , between the elevators outside the restaurant. We will
cross over to the East building via the airwalk and back refusing to be
ID-checked.


Dear students and colleagues,

Tensions are running high at the moment on campus. This atmosphere affects
all members of the School community and not merely those who are directly
involved in current political disputes. But please let us explain why.

As some of you may know, a group of security guards has been occupying the
LSE campus since Tuesday.

There is nothing to be gained from the ID card checks conducted by these
security guards. The LSE administration will hypocritically allow just
about anyone to enter some of the school's venues (such as the Three Tuns)
provided they are prepared to consume. However when it comes to entering a
space in which people are fighting for what they believe in, access is
suddenly restricted. Our campus now resembles an occupied zone with ID
card checks almost at every corner. We know that the security guards in
place are outsourced by private security firms and we have nothing against
them in person. We understand that the administration has ordered this
policy in order for the students that have taken over the Old Theatre to
be intimidated and for the LSE community to turn against them.

We stand by our students, we support their peaceful actions and we tell
the administration: These students have taken over the Old Theatre (else,
the Theatre of the Old) because they come from the future. You’d better
listen to and respect what they have to say.

The occupation of the LSE by security guards has now reached the point
where it is disrupting teaching and learning. We must also consider the
welfare of students, some of whom have told us of their distress at the
constant ID checks. So the School’s community must bring this occupation
to an end now before further discussions are held.

We call for peaceful action against ID checks. Meet at 1pm on Thursday,
22.1, on the fourth floor of the Old Building outside the restaurant. We
will cross over to the East Building via the airwalk and back refusing to
be ID-checked. In all cases, refuse to show your ID - there is nothing in
the school's regulation requiring you to do so!

To the school administration we return its own words:

“We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause and hope you
understand. We are taking all reasonable steps to bring the school’s
occupation to a close.”

LSE staff and students in solidarity with the students at the Theatre of
the Old