Letter sent to Gordon Brown

Arts a0002,

University of Sussex,

Falmer,

Brighton BN1 4ND

Dear Mr Brown,

You are of course aware of the current wave of national university occupations taking place in protest at the recent actions of the Israeli Government. Here at Sussex University, out of the sixteen universities that are being occupied (including LSE, Oxford and Cambridge) we are one of the largest, and as such we wish to communicate to you our reasons for our discontent.

We are currently engaging peaceful dialogue with out university administration regarding our demands have made it clear that we mean them to do all they can to help the Palestinian people. Our demands, like those of other occupying universities nationwide, include a boycott of Israeli Goods; a statement of condemnation of the Israeli government’s actions; as well as educational and financial aid to Palestinian organisations and universities. We are a group of people with a cause; and we have gathered much support, concern and awareness around the siege of Gaza and the West Bank, and we are gaining more and more.

Hence we speak for many more than ourselves when we say that we are disheartened, if not disgusted, by the dire stance the British government has taken on the persecution and slaughter carried out by the Israeli state. Time and time again we are on the streets of Britain, en masse, calling for those of you who are able to directly end the siege in Gaza and the West Bank– you have not listened.

It is your duty to uphold the implementation of human rights law and support the investigation of those who break them to be held accountable. The world has witnessed the Israeli military breaking these laws repeatedly, yet not enough has been done to hold the perpetrators accountable. You are not fulfilling your duty to the British people by ignoring these events, and further; you are not fulfilling your duty to human rights and to those who are suffer through their transgression.

We urge you to use your diplomatic tools to stop this suffering; do not prolong it with procrastination and silence masked as ‘international diplomacy’.

Listen to our voices: not just of the students occupying universities; not just of those who are showing their support; not just the hundreds of thousands of protestors and commentators of the recent weeks – but most of all listen to the voices of the Palestinians as they are mercilessly attacked and mistreated.

The task we demand of you is very clear: end the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. This is the demand of millions of people, and like our occupation, they will not back down until this demand is met.

Yours sincerely,

The Sussex Occupation