Tuesday 10 March 2009

Updates and events

What we have been doing:

On Thursday, a member of the boycott and divestment group spoke as part of a panel at the War on Want talk 'Banking on Bloodshed' updating us on progress relating to the occupation demands.

Last Friday we were honoured to have a talk from 19-year old Israeli student and war-refuser Tamar Katz, who was jailed several times for defying military conscription. She spoke of the incredible difficulties of political dissent including widespread social stigma, estrangement from family and friends, lack of organisational support due to the illegality of political criticism and media complicity in maintaining the occupation.

On Sunday a group of Sussex students blockaded the main depot of Carmel-Agrexco, which imports agricultural produce from illegal settlements in the West Bank to supply supermarkets across the UK. Several people blockaded the gates, locking themselves to ladders, and one person superglued themselves to the tarmac. Several trucks were unable to deliver produce to the depot, and no arrests were made. This direct action was carried out in solidarity with the students of Jayyous who were arrested when the Israeli military stormed their village on 18th February and who have called for a boycott. Since then, the village has been invaded two further times, with a curfew imposed on the town and residents also threatened with home demolitions.

Also on Sunday a representative from the occupation spoke on a panel at the Oxford Radical Forum with students from other occupations about the national wave and the potential for a new radical student movement. A national congress is planned for April 18th. To get involved in organising this event, contact the national liaison working group at sussexnational@gmail.com, and add your name to the organising list at studentcoordination@gmail.com.

We have also written an update for our fellow students on the progress that has been made on the implementation of our demands so far, which you can find here, or pinned to the door of Arts A2.

Don't forget to vote in the referendum to get rid of the military from our campus! Voting tomorrow and Thursday in the library.

What we have planned:

Tomorrow (Weds) there will be a party at the Cowley Club to raise money for the Brighton-Tubas twinning group. There will be cheap vegan food and drink from 7pm and an open mic...

This Thursday, the Women’s Delegation from the West Bank of Palestine will be visiting Sussex University, to relate their experiences as women living in the occupied territories. The speakers are Sirien, a student from Al-Quds University, who has been closely involved in the twinning project with Sussex; and Ghada, a member of the Patients and Friends Society in Jenin. Entrance is free and there will be time for questions and answers. (Pevensey 2, Rm 5A17, 4-5:30pm).

Meetings this week:

Weds 3pm - Boycott and Divestment group meeting. Meet Falmer common room, or library square if the weather is nice.

Weds 4pm - General organisational meeting, meet Falmer common room.








2 comments:

  1. According to respected international lawyer Franklin Lamb a recent CIA report gives the Israeli state 20 years before it collapses. Apparently members of the US Senate Intelligence Committee have seen the report which argues that a two-state solution is no longer realistic and that a one-state solution is the only viable democratic option. It predicts:

    "an inexorable movement away from a two-state to a one-state solution, as the most viable model based on democratic principles of full equality that sheds the looming specter of colonial Apartheid while allowing for the return of the 1947/1948 and 1967 refugees. The latter being the precondition for sustainable peace in the region."

    http://gazasolidarity.blogspot.com/2009/03/cia-predicts-collapse-of-israeli-state.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for this nice post. you are improving day by day
    regards
    india university admission

    ReplyDelete