BREAKING NEWS : Nottingham University Occupied for Gaza

FOR PRESS QUERIES: Phone 07747373782 Email OccupationNottingham@gmail.com

Calling all Students:

On Wednesday 28th January at around 8pm, around a hundred students occupied Room B62 in the Law and Social Sciences building on the University of Nottingham campus in solidarity with the victims of Israeli atrocities in Gaza [1]. The peaceful campus occupation is the seventeenth in a wave of simlar actions across the U.K. since the New Year. Students at the University of Nottingham expressed their solidarity with students at the School of Oriental and African Studies, the London School of Economics, King’s College London, Birmingham, Essex, Warwick, Sussex, Oxford, Manchester Metropolitan, Cambridge, Leeds, Newcastle, Queen Mary’s, and Bradford Universities; all of whom have undertaken occupations in support of Gaza.

The protesters have announced they will not lift the occupation until their demands have been met by the university authorities [2]. These demands include:

1) That the University website should carry the DEC charities appeal, subject of recent controversy because of its non-transmission by the BBC and Sky.

2) That the University authorities should publicly condemn the ongoing Israeli atrocities.

3) That the University should express solidarity with the population of Gaza by instituting a programme of scholarships for Palestinian students as well as donating books and educational equipment to Palestinian schools and universities.

4) That the University of Nottingham ceases to invest directly or indirectly in companies complicit in human rights abuses in the Gaza strip and internationally, and bar such companies from all University premises.

Public and university figures have already expressed their support for the occupation. Hicham Yezza, editor of Ceasefire Magazine, said the protest was reflective of a growing level of political conscience on campus and an indication that many Nottingham University students are shaking off their reputation for political apathy. Noam Chomsky, MIT Professor of Linguistics and world-famous dissident, said in a message to the protestors: “I am very pleased to learn about your courageous and honorable actions, particularly significant because of the crucial British contribution to the savage onslaught on Gaza, second only to the decisive role of the United States — a disgrace for all of us. I hope you have the greatest success in arousing public opinion and bringing these monstrous crimes to an end.”

NOTES:

[1] For continuing updates, please visit the occupation blog: occupationnottingham.wordpress.com

[2] A full list of demands is available at: http://occupationnottingham.wordpress.com/demands/

[3] Nottingham University in Solidarity with Gaza
Media Relations Contact: Tel 077 47 37 37 82 Email occupationnottingham@gmail.com

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This is a non-violent and inclusive protest. All University of Nottingham students are encouraged to participate. During the occupation we will adhere to the same codes of personal conduct as is expected of us as members of the student community. Any disruption to our peers’ education is expressly against our wishes and we will respect the rights of freedom of speech, freedom of expression and the right to disagree. Universities should be a place where freedom of expression, debate and critical discourse is encouraged. The student movement in the UK and around the world has a proud tradition of protest and solidarity actions, whether against South African Apartheid or Zionist terrorism

We are asking anyone who empathises with our cause to come down and join the demonstration. We plan to organise speakers, events, food and music. We are not going to disrupt any lectures.