Skip to main content

Cardiff University in occupation


We almost missed this one - Wales has joined the movement with Cardiff uni going into occupation for Gaza yesterday. see their first-day statement and demands below:

occupiedcardiff.blogspot.com

email messages of support: cardiffstudentsagainstwar@gmail.com
cc in David Grant, Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff Uni via PA: FarnhamS@Cardiff.ac.uk (please be polite :).

Day two highlights

At 2pm we have a live link-up with students from Gaza, everyone’s welcome along so please get yourselves down to the Shandon Lecture Theatre, main building.

Lots of messages of support came in overnight – including from several other student occupations – Sheffield Hallam, St Andrew Sussex and Queen Mary’s. Media coverage has spread as far afield as Russia and Croatia, but the local media has also given us attention with students being interviewed live on local radio last night.

OCCUPATION NEWS - day one

Dear all,

First, a massive thank you to everyone who has been involved in Disarm Cardiff University up to this point. Cardiff Students Against War are now occupying the Shandon Large Lecture in the Main Building! There have already been preliminary negotiations with Director of Strategic Development Louise Casella who has guaranteed that no repercussions will be taken against students and staff for taking part in the occupation, so anyone who wants to find out more or get involved please feel free to pay us a visit (however long) :D Non-students are also welcome but strictly as guests.

We have already received many messages of support from individuals and institutions, including statements from: Alan Thomson of UNISON Ymlaen Branch; Leanne Wood AC/AM (Plaid Cymru); Anne Greagsby (from the campaign against military training at St Athan); CND Cyrmu; and John Rees, co-founder of Stop the War Coalition. Thank you all so much for your solidarity with our action and our message!

The demonstration earlier outside the Student Union was a big success and generated widespread support and interest from passing students, staff and strangers, many of whom joined in spontaneously. Rest assured that Cardiff Students Against War will be organising all manner of events in and around the occupation. Expect teach-ins, guest lecturers, live music and hosting of the live video linkup with Gazan students, organised by Federation of Student Islamic Societies. We are aiming to create a positive, fun educational space dedicated to raising awareness of the effects of the arms trade, and the dire situation in Gaza.

Our demands to the university are as follows:


1. No repercussions for students involved in the occupation. (This demand has been met).

2. Cardiff University to divest all shares, direct or indirect, from arms manufacturers and aerospace companies.

3. Cardiff University to adopt an ethical investment policy that excludes the arms trade. This process is to be mediated by external ethical auditors based on responses of Cardiff University students and staff. The ethical investment policy to be freely available to all students and staff.

4. Cardiff University to be twinned with a Gazan university, to show support for the Gazan people at this desperate time.

The twinning is to involve:

a) Scholarships for at least 5 Gazan students to study in Cardiff, and for Cardiff University to help facilitate their travel.

b) Surplus books, computers and other educational materials to be sent to the twinned university.

5. Cardiff University to release a statement in condemnation of Israel's bombing and the blockade of Gaza, and in condemnation of the UK government's use of British armed forces as part of this blockade.

6. An official day of solidarity with Gaza supported by Cardiff University.

7. Cardiff University to issue a statement of support for Saudi ex-BAE trade unionist Yahya Al Faifi, who is currently fighting deportation from the UK.
8. No Israeli products to be sold in university shops.

9. Cardiff University to actively promote the Disaster Emergency Committee appeal for Gaza, including a banner on the website, and to issue a statement condemning the BBC and Sky News for not running the DEC Gaza appeal advert.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

'Coronavirus-free' Gaza prepares for the worst

Until now, the besieged Gaza Strip has stayed free of  the novel coronavirus  spreading across the world. As the Gaza Strip has been under a stringent Israeli-led blockade for nearly 13 years, the spread of the coronavirus - officially known as COVID-19 - has become the topic of discussion for many Palestinians, with  some joking  that the blockade was preventing them from being exposed.But as authorities in the coastal Palestinian enclave gear up to contain any potential outbreak, serious questions have arisen about the risks and implications of such a scenario.  But given its already difficult humanitarian situation and high population density, an outbreak in the Gaza Strip could prove to be catastrophic, health officials have warned.  "If the virus enters Gaza and spreads, it will get out of hand," Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Majdi Thuhair told Middle East Eye, as he explained that a severe shortage of resources and personnel would make it near impossible
Post a Comment
Read more

Boycott of New York diamond dealer launched to protest settlement construction

Members of Adalah NY call for boycott of Leviev for its crimes against Palestinians and South Africans New York, NY, May 9 – On the day before Mother’s Day, 40 New York human rights advocates gathered at the Leviev jewelry store on Madison Avenue and called on throngs of weekend Madison Avenue shoppers to boycott Israeli diamond mogul Lev Leviev over his companies’ construction of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land in West Bank villages including Bil’in and Jayyous. Mother’s Day is one of the biggest jewelry shopping periods in the US annually. The New York protest came as controversy is growing in Norway over Norwegian government investments in Leviev’s company Africa-Israel . The New York protesters also commemorated Bassem Abu Rahma from Bil’in who was shot to death by Israeli soldiers last month during a peaceful protest against the construction on Bil’in’s land of Israel’s wall and of the Mattityahu East settlement by a Leviev company. Thanks to vivapalestina.us (not co
Post a Comment
Read more

Support striking Palestinian quarry workers demanding their rights from Israeli employer

On 16 June, 35 Palestinian workers at Salit Quarries in Mishor Adumim (in area C, east of Jerusalem, in the Occupied West Bank) began a strike. The workers, organized with the independent union WAC-Ma'an, are demanding an end to exploitation and humiliation, and insist on signing a first collective agreement. Salit Quarries’ main customer is Readymix Industries (Israel). The total reliance of Salit Quarry on Readymix as their biggest and by far the most important customer puts responsibility on Readymix to make sure that their clients abides by labour laws and safeguards elementary rights for the workers of Salit. We call upon Readymix to urge the Salit management to terminate this unnecessary strike by signing the collective agreement with the workers and WAC-Ma’an. Click this protest link to send your message. The text of the message is as follows: I write to you to express my grave concern about the failure of Salit management to sign a collective agreement with the workers of
Post a Comment
Read more