This is a plea to Goldsmiths staff and friends to help support Fatema Zainab Rajwani, 21, who completed her second year of the BA Media and Comms in July 2024 and was very widely liked and respected. Many of us have taught Fatema, and many of us heard her brilliant speech about saving higher eduction at the inauguration of our Shirin Abu Akleh Memorial Lecture Theatre.

In August 2024 Fatema Zainab was was part of a group who committed a direct action at the Filton headquarters of Elbit Systems- a company that supplies over 80% of Israeli army weapons used in Gaza - to destroy drones that were to be used on civilians, including children, in Gaza.

Our immediate request on this page was to quickly raise £220 for something that will massively help her in prison, as she has been imprisoned for far longer, and under much harsher conditions, than anyone expected.

Fatema is locked down in her cell from 6 pm until 8 am each day – that is 14 hours and if there are any issues in the prison such as protests or disturbances, this can be extended to several days. She has virtually no internet access, but fortunately has at least a DVD player in her cell.

A group of us have been meeting to support her and her mum Sukaina, and my urgent request here was to get some viewing of her choice to lift her mood for the difficult night times - and as she is pursuing scriptwriting as a specialism, to give her some inspiration and structural guidance for writing. As prisoners can only have a tiny number of DVDs, she asked for full box sets of Lucifer, White Collar and Misfits, priced on Amazon at £220. Thats a few hundred hours of drama escape :-)

Ive ordered the above, though waiting for one to come back in stock, so spent £163 so far.

That's an immediate need met for which everyone thanks !!!

At the Board meeting yesterday people were very supportive and full of ideas to help her continuing education.We plan next to contact HMP Send as a University and see what further learning we can offer her. I and staff colleagues are prepping books and further DVDs that can assist her learning- something that she is very keen on and will without doubt help her mental health and well-being.

We're now thrilled to have raised over £1,100 which will really help!!

I will give full reports of what gets bought and sent. (Has to be through a commercial supplier eg Amazon not direct from us, under prison security rules).

She has told Sukaina already this means an extremely great deal to her- the actual media materials but also the love and care with which they are sent :-)

There is an application in for an Appeal for Fatema. Meanwhile Daisy and I have been in regular contact with Sukaina her mother, and thanks also to eight or so MCCS colleagues who joined an informal support group that's been e-meeting over the summer.

Please contact me for more info, or if you would like to join the group as above. NB the group is purely focussed on supporting the wellbeing and continuing education of Fatema as a member of the Goldsmiths community.

Sue

Prof Sue Clayton

MCCS

Goldsmiths University of London