Feedback from the last meeting.

Detailed minutes can be found in the Sussex occupation gmail account. This is what we're busy with at the moment...

A big organisational meeting with all involved groups and people has been called for Thursday of week one (23/04). We will be deciding on a group name and identity among other things - write the date down now!

There will be a referendum next term on the issue of a union boycott of Israeli goods. The boycott was the most controversial of all of the occupation demands with much debate and diverse opinion on the useful extent and effectiveness of this tactic. We want to see this continue to be a lively topic engaging students across campus in the run-up to the referendum and to raise people's awareness of the underlying issues... contact the boycott and divestment group at campaigns@ussu.sussex.ac.uk to get involved in planning the campaign.

The Brighton-Tubas friendship and solidarity group will be hosting another delegation of students from Al Quds university (with which Sussex is twinned) on the 20th April (1st week of term). We need to plan events! To get involved or if you have any ideas for activities, or know of any interested groups, societies, academics or departments please contact simon4_@hotmail.com.

Sheffield university are still in occupation. A message of solidarity was sent to them last week (see blog). They are hosting a panel of members of other occupations this Tuesday from 4pm. If anyone would like to go down and represent Sussex (or write a brief account of the Sussex occupation with tips and advice) please let Leila know asap (leila.elqawas@gmail.com) for contact details.

There will be a national gathering in London (UCL) on the 18th April to draw together people from the occupations and other areas of the student movement and think about where we go from here. Everyone is welcome to be a part of the organisation (whether you were involved in the occupations or not): add your name to the organising list by emailing studentcoordination@gmail.com, or contact the national liaison group at sussexnational@gmail.com.

We want to set up a post-occupation website that can function as both a publicity and an organising tool. If you have any ideas or would like to get involved please contact the publicity group at abcs20@sussex.ac.uk.

Call to Action: solidarity with arrested Jayyous students

Please circulate widely.

Week of action in solidarity with the arrested students of Jayyous
2nd- 9th March

On February 18th 2009 in the early hours of the morning, Occupation forces rampaged through the West Bank village of Jayyous conducting violent house to house raids and carrying out mass arrests totalling over 50 students and nearly the entire youth committee of Stop the Wall Campaign.

For months the youth movement in Jayyous had made it one of the most active villages in the West Bank , embodying a strained resistance against occupation and the wall which will carve through village land destroying hundreds of olive trees and cutting the village off from many of its primary water supplies.

The students of Jayyous have called for IMMEDIATE BOYCOTT AND DIVESTMENT action in response to the incursion.

The students of the University of Sussex stand in solidarity with those in Jayyous and appeal to the wider student body to join us next week in a week of action against Israel ’s attacks on the basic human rights of those students in Jayyouss who dared to express dissent.

It is crucial that we recognise the severity of this event and draw wider attention to it as an example of the crimes on humanity that Palestinians experience every day.

In solidarity,

Sussex .

Goldsmiths, Edinburgh, UEA occupied! Shame on Sheffield Hallam SU!

Nearly a month after some SOAS students took the MOD building on their campus in solidarity with Gaza, the (inter)national wave of occupations is still growing, with those who have ended occupations showing no sign of lessening their resolve to ensure that demands are implemented and practical solidarity with Palestine is achieved, and news of new and planned occupations still coming in constantly.

Today saw new occupations initiated at Goldsmiths (right), Edinburgh, and the University of East Anglia. Among UEA's demands are twinning with the bombed University of Gaza, and a condemnation from its union of the "failure of the NUS to address the massacre in Gaza in a meaningful way", whilst Edinburgh has demanded "that the university suspend all relations with companies enabling the conflict and/or occupation" and "that the university provide logistical and financial support for a series of informative lectures on the Palestine/Israel question."

In other shocking news, Matt Vicary, equal opportunities officer at Sheffield Hallam, has been suspended by the president of his own student union for a display of solidarity with Gaza at the recent NUS conference in the face of the imminent passing of the structurally debilitating governance review (which effectively takes away the student voice at a national level). Several other students have been threatened with suspension for their part in the university occupations. Such victimisation of those students who are prepared to stand up for their own basic rights and those of others globally is wholly disgraceful and a danger to the movement and to the basic concept of our freedom to protest. Join the facebook group in support of Matt, or ring Hallam Union on 0114 225 4111 to complain.

Lastly, Maria Gallestegui ended her hunger strike yesterday on doctors' warnings after 30 days without food calling for the lifting of the blockade on Gaza. We wish her a quick recovery and condemn the UK government and media for their failure to acknowledge this heroic act of solidarity and the urgency of those issues underlying it.

Campaigning workshops today!

There is still space on the these two workshops taking place this afternoon. They are both being run by Seeds For Change; a non-profit co-op providing training and resources to activists.

The following sessions will run concurrently from 2-5pm, Falmer House

Introduction to Campaign Planning - An effective campaign plan is vital if you want campaign success. A campaign plan is like a map that helps you get from where you are now to where you want to be - the goal of your campaign. In this workshop we'll practice using a series of campaign planning tools that will help you create a winning campaign.

Creative Campaigning - What draws a crowd and makes them stop? How can you communicate your campaign message? How can you get media attention for your campaign? We'll explore these questions and more in this workshop.

Email societies@ussu.sussex.ac.uk to book a space. You can also find the Facebook Event page here.

National occupations update

Congratulations to King's College London who yesterday announced victory after two weeks of occupation and protest:

"The college has agreed to a series of measures to directly address the current crisis in Gaza, including the provision of scholarships for those directly affected by the crisis, and the donation of educational resources to institutions in Palestine", said Mido Khan on behalf of the student protesters. "In addition, the college has acknowledged the scale of discontent that the award to Peres has generated among the student population, particularly considering the award in the context of what has happened recently in Gaza."

Less welcome news from the Nottingham university occupation who yesterday were forcibly removed by security guards without prior warning. The protest had been peaceful and had explicitly stated its intentions of non-disruption to other students from the outset (although the university took the decision to disrupt lectures). Following this illegal eviction, many students were kept outside in the snow without jackets and prevented from retrieving their possessions still left in the hall. The media were denied access to campus. The actions of the university in collaboration with the local police are disgraceful, unnecessary and dangerous. There have been reports of injuries to students, personal items being confiscated, intimidatory recording of names and ID numbers, police and security refusing to take statements from students assaulted during removal and failing to help the process of identifying those members of security responsible for assault and injury. Please call and email the university to register your outrage at this disgusting behaviour.

Dark news also from Sheffield Hallam who have now been told that, following their eviction on 29th January after serious intimidation and threats of arrest, those involved are to be suspended from the university, which means that they will be unable to take part in exams and lectures. This is in breach of earlier assurances from university officials that there would be no repercussions for protestors if they agreed to leave the occupation peacefully (which they did). University security was subsequently sent to break up the arranged post-occupation organisational meeting. That students should suffer severe intimidation and academic penalty, effectively jeopardising their futures, for peaceful political protest of this sort is unacceptable and an extremely worrying precedent. Please complain to Sheffield Hallam University by ringing them on 0114 225 5555 or email Philip Jones the Vice-Chancellor at enquiries@shu.ac.uk.

Finally Queen Mary are still going strong and have achieved their first success, with the university agreeing to add the 'Palestinian Territories' to the Scholarship list. The occupation continues to press for all expenses paid scholarships for students specifically from the Gazan University for the coming Academic year 2009 - 2010 and 10 extra general scholarships to be created for future years so as not to disadvantage students from other parts of the world.

We urge all other universities who are still considering occupation to get on it now!

The Next Steps...

Loads of people turned up for the strategy meeting this afternoon showing that even though the occupation has officially ended and our demands have been met, nothing's over yet.

We've decided to set up several temporary working groups to plan new events, strengthen our national links, and to make sure that the university follows through on its promises. Everyone's welcome to get involved, even if you weren't previously a part of the occupation:

Boycott & Divestment - Meeting Friday 12pm Room 126 Falmer House - Contact Raz (campaigns@ussu.sussex.ac.uk)

Education & Events - Next meeting Monday 10am Falmer Common Room - Contact Josh (joshua.c.j@gmail.com)

National Liaison (working together with other occupations) - Contact Chas (sussexnational@gmail.com)

Publicity - Contact Alex (abcs20@sussex.ac.uk)

Scholarships & Surplus Supplies - Contact Harriet

The next weekly organisational meeting will be this coming Tuesday in FH126 at 6:00.

We also heard back from Lee (Finance Officer, USSU) and Laura (President, USSU), who told us how the Union is working hard to hold the Uni management to account for its promises. Lee said that the best thing we as students can do is campaign hard - and that it's the Union's job to represent its students, so we need to get on to our fellow students and raise awareness of the situation in Palestine and Israel, and our role in it. At the same time, both Laura and Lee agreed that the research of our group will still prove invaluable in holding the Uni to account.

Next week is Palestine week and there's a whole schedule of events planned:

Monday - Street Theatre - Library Square, 11-2 We'll be setting up a noisy checkpoint in Library Square and asking everyone to show their ID. We have some volunteers for flyering and being friendly, but need lots of soldiers. We also need volunteer detainees.

Interested? Email Josh and come to the rehearsal meeting in Falmer Common Room, 10am. If you can only come for an hour or two during the day, that's fine - just send Josh an email.

Tuesday - PALESTINE: Exhibition and Talks - Mandela Hall, 9-5 We still need lots more people to be invited to the facebook event, so go to it now and get your friends to come - go, go! We also need volunteer porters, to help people and be responsible for safety - email Josh to come and volunteer a few hours of your day.

Thursday - The Palestine Monologues - Arts A 103, 7pm The best thing you can do is turn up - it's going to be a really special performance by talented friends. Bring your housemates (and maybe tissues).

Friday - Film screening: Occupation 101 - EDB 121, 4pm A really challenging but informative film that introduces the history of the creation of 'Israel' and 'Palestine' and goes right up to the present day. Followed by relaxed discussion and nibbles.

Facebook events will follow - make sure you're in the Sussex Palestine Initiative group and that you let all your friends know about them too. They will be grateful to have been invited to something that does not involve pirates or pub crawls!

Shame on the Cambridge University management!

The Cambridge University occupation in solidarity with Gaza have been having a tough time of it, with their university administration using such devious and intimidatory tactics as photographing occupants and recording their details (multiple times!), throwing away occupants' food supplies, stop-and-searches of staff and students to ensure that no food gets through (on "health and safety" grounds!), issuing legal threats, giving impossible time-frames for negotiations, preventing students from joining the protests and telling students that they would not be allowed to re-enter the occupation after they had already left. Yesterday visiting speaker Craig Murray was prevented from entering the building and had to address occupants and gathered crowds from within a ring of university officials acting like a police kettle. Cambridge students have explicitly stated their commitment to a peaceful occupation and to the non-disruption of their fellow students from the outset. Many staff and students and even politicians have expressed their outrage and support. The occupation says "Cambridge University claims to be stand for values of freedom of expression, and these worrying actions prove this claim false and set a dangerous precedent for future student activists." This kind of authoritarian harassment and siege from the University of Cambridge is unacceptable, hypocritical, disruptive to other students, and generally does them huge discredit. Please use the template on the right hand side of this page to send a letter of disgust (or write your own) to the vice-chancellor at v-c@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Final speaker session today 5pm and party!

Please come along to Mandela hall today for our final speaker session and rally at 5pm.

Jeremy Corbyn; a labour MP and anti-war activist. "Since 2005 he has defied the whip 148 times, making him by far the most rebellious Labour MP."

A member of the International Solidarity Movement will talk about their work and experiences on the ground in Palestine.

Sussex students and members of the recent delegation to Palestine will talk about the Brighton-Tubas twinning initiative, including their plans for the next delegation over to Sussex from Tubas and how you can get involved.

We will also hear from members of the occupation and the student union, who will talk about how it all went and our next steps, and there will be the opportunity to ask questions.

This will be followed by an open-mic session and celebratory party in Falmer bar!

There are still lots of jobs to get done today: please check the gmail account for a list of them and sign up.

10 things that you can do...

Yesterday in the meeting somebody raised the issue of decentralisation. This means that rather than having one central organising committee who decide matters and then delegates out tasks and responsibility, everybody can contribute creatively according to the time and means at their disposal in accordance with the decisions made collectively (we use both consensus and vote) at general meetings. In this way our power is spread out across people, maximising our abilities and resources. Arts A2 is the organising hub and spirit of the occupation, but our action extends into classrooms and the rest of campus and beyond. We are all the occupation! Here are some ideas for ways in which you can contribute:

1. Sign the petition. Spare paper copies can also be picked up from the infostall in Arts A2 to gather more signatures from your classmates and friends.

2. Write a letter or email to the Vice-Chancellor's office informing them of your support for the demands of the occupation and your desire to see them met immediately. Send statements to VC@sussex.ac.uk and please copy in the occupation email address too. If you need help or motivation then the University's Amnesty International Society are also holding group letter-writing sessions.

3. Raise awareness. Discuss issues with your friends, and take a few minutes at the start of your lecture (with permission from the lecturer of course) to inform your classmates of the occupation and the reasons behind it. Or email your lecturers and department urging support for the occupation. A template of key points that you might like to raise can be picked up from the infostall in Arts A2.

4. Come to the meetings! They are totally open and accessible to all, and everybody can have a say. You can get involved in one of the working groups, put yourself forward for tasks, take inspiration for solidarity actions, or offer suggestions and ideas.

5. Show your support at the organised events. There is a rally and speaker session tonight in Arts A2, poster/banner-making sessions, music and film, and more events are being scheduled throughout the occupation. There is also a national demonstration in London on Saturday for which we will be organising transport.

6. Send a statement of support to the occupation's email address. You could also write a letter or article to the local media or to the Badger. If you belong to a group or society then pass a resolution of support. These can be used to show strength of feeling for our campaign and demands.

7. Publicise. Flyers, stickers and other materials can be picked up from the infostall in Arts A2 to be posted or distributed around campus and beyond. Or make your own banners, flags etc! Also invite all of your friends to the facebook group and send them details of this blog.

8. Occupy! We have a symbolic silent presence of 15 people at the back of Arts A2 during daytime lectures and need a minimum of 15 people at all times in the room and at nights (there is food and sometimes entertainment, and an agreed lights-out quiet period). There is a timetable to which you can add your name, or just come along when you have a bit of spare time.

9. Fundraise or donate. We are fundraising for Gaza, and also are collecting contributions for food, materials etc. for the occupation. Any donations of equipment, food, art materials etc. are also very welcome.

10. Organise an action or event. Either come and get people on board at a collective meeting, or do it in solidarity with the occupation. Socials, film screenings, banner drops, awareness-raising actions... whatever you fancy. Be creative!