SCHOOL OF LIFE

Students from Kings College London, LSE, SOAS, Birmingham, Oxford, Essex, Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester Metropolitan, Sussex and Newcastle have all occupied University buildings in response to Israel’s assault on Gaza this week, showing their solidarity with Palestine, and demanding that their universities boycott and divest from Israel.

Since Tuesday a group of around 80 students have occupied the main lecture theatre at Sussex Uni. With mobile phones presumably on silent they have insisted that lectures proceed as normal but refuse to leave until their demands have been met – insisting that the ceasefire is by no means the end of University complicity in Israeli actions.

Highlighting both the financial links of the University and the moral implications of its continued silence over the issue, the students have made six demands: That the university issue a statement condemning Israeli military aggression and the occupation; withdraw funding from any company producing arms, supporting the state of Israel or violating human rights; institute a campus wide boycott of Israeli goods; pay for six full scholarships of students from Gaza universities - and - that they send surplus educational material to Gaza with shipping paid by the University. Oh and that the students themselves face no repercussions for the action.

So far ‘The Management’ have refused to make a statement on the grounds that it’s ‘too political’. They have agreed to pay for some shipping costs of resources and to er ‘market’ their foreign scholarships more strongly in the Middle East (that’s what the Gazans need – a fresh and dynamic marketing campaign). The University also denies that it’s aware that it invests in arms companies in spite of the wealth of student research and even FOI requests that prove otherwise, and have flat out rejected the idea of a boycott. As for repercussions – there will be none... as long as the occupation doesn’t go on too long.

The Sussex students have stated that this ‘complete failure to even dignify our demands, combined with an implicit threat is not good enough’ and have signalled their intention to stay firmly put.

* See www.sussexoccupation.blogspot.com or email sussexoccupation@gmail.com to show support.