Campus holdout: University of Sydney tells Gaza protesters to leave but small group vows ‘encampment has not ended’

Muslim students' association remains steadfast as vice-chancellor urges them to make way for festival to ring in new semester

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If not for the brown charring of the University of Sydney's quadrangle lawns, it would be difficult to imagine that at its peak hundreds of students had gathered there to camp out in protest against the war in Gaza.

For two months, the sandstone site was alive with marquees, colourful tents and makeshift kitchens. Protesters shared meals, held rallies and teach-ins, vowing they would not disband until the university disclosed and divested from weapons manufacturers and companies with links to Israel.