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Occupation A Success
Posted by archifCLICarchive from National - Published on 03/03/2009 at 14:59
WORDS: Portia Nicholson (Sprout Editorial Group, in Copenhagen)
The occupation of Cardiff University by students has ended with success as the facility acceded to the occupiers' key demand to divest from the arms trade.
Cardiff University have given students written confirmation and have instructed fund managers not to reinvest.
The occupation ended on Thursday with a mass of students walking out together waving occupation banners and chanting "Free, Free, Palestine". They then held a Books Not Bombs rally as they marched around campus declaring their success.
The victory came after three days of occupation of the main building which rasied awareness of the £209,000 worth of shares which, until yesterday, Cardiff University held in the arms trade. This included BAE Systems and General Electric who supplied Israel with weapons used in the recent attacks on Gaza.
The Cardiff occupation, organised by Cardiff Students Against War, was in opposition to the university's investment in the arms trade and to the atrocities committed in Gaza, where 1.4 million Palestinians are blockaded in a semi-autonomous apartheid state.
The occupation has been inundated with messages of support including most notably one from Noam Chomsky:
"I am very pleased to learn about the courageous and honourable actions of the Cardiff University students.
"These are particularly significant because of Britain's role in arms sales generally, and it's contribution to the savage onslaught on Gaza and on the occupied territories generally, 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 crimes to an end".
The action at Cardiff is the 28th UK student occupation to have taken place in the last few weeks. This unprecedented wave of student dissent has seen many universities capitulating to demands.
The Cardiff activists hope their success will inspire other students to hold occupations on their own campuses.
Arla Gramper, 22, who took part in the occupation said: "Our success here at the occupation is a great realisation of what can be achived by direct action. It's a starting point upon which we plan to build larger, wider reaching campaign to engage many more people in the debate and lobby the university".
Cardiff Students Against War have stated: "The actions don't end here. Cardiff Students Against War will continue to campaign to ensure the University cements its promise not to reinvest by putting it in policy and to fight against the deportation of Saudi ex-BAE trade unionist, Yahya Al Faifi".
