Glasgow, 13 December 2023
OPEN LETTER
We, university staff at the University of Strathclyde, are gravely concerned about the atrocities taking place in Palestine. We witness with horror what United Nations experts warn is a “new instance of mass ethnic cleansing”. The ongoing bombing of Gaza and the killing and forced displacement of its residents has been condemned by Amnesty International, the United Nations, the World Health Organization, MSF, and Action Aid amongst others.
We call for an immediate ceasefire as a matter of urgency. We recognise that a temporary truce cannot secure permanent peace. We join students and colleagues across UK universities, in trade unions, and healthcare workers, in this call.
We condemn the suppression of pro-Palestinian speech on university campuses and within cultural institutions. The ability to express outrage at the atrocities taking place in Palestine, and to express solidarity with Palestinians, is of tantamount importance. The censoring of this speech is a violation of academic freedom and freedom of speech.
To date, over 18,000 Palestinians have been killed. Israel has undertaken 3 out of the 5 acts which constitute genocide as identified by the United Nations Genocide Convention. We refuse to bear silent witness to a continuing genocide. The collective punishment of Gaza’s civilians—which includes the killing of aid workers, journalists, and medics, as well as the destruction of universities, hospitals and life-sustaining resources, cutting off water, food, electricity, and medicine—amounts to a war crime. We demand the permanent lifting of the siege of Gaza so that vital supplies can enter. We call for the safe and free movement of people and supplies within Gaza, and the continued release of Palestinian and Israeli hostages.
Staff and students within educational institutions have been killed alongside their families, and many more have lost loved ones and friends. We express our deep solidarity with all of those affected. We also express deep solidarity with Palestinian university staff, and staff and students at Strathclyde who have family and friends killed or injured by Israel’s attacks on Gaza and the West Bank.
Education infrastructure in the occupied Palestinian territory has been severely impacted by Israeli military attacks. Every university in Gaza has been bombed. The Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education reports that buildings at the Islamic University of Gaza, Al-Azhar University, the North Gaza and Tubas branches of Al-Quds Open University, and the buildings of An-Najah National University at Palestine Technical University Kadoorie have been completely or partially destroyed by Israeli military strikes. Thousands of Palestinian students have had their education completely disrupted; students in the West Bank also face Israeli military and settler violence. More than 170 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank during the past month, and over 2500 Palestinians have been injured. These are inconceivable assaults on the right to education.
We acknowledge calls from Palestinians to uphold Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with International Law and Universal Principles of Human Rights. This includes an academic boycott of complicit Israeli academic institutions. We encourage our colleagues to heed their call.
We call on the University of Strathclyde, and higher education institutions globally, to demand an end to the atrocities taking place in Palestine.
Further, we the undersigned ask the University of Strathclyde to assert its academic and ethical integrity by:
References:
ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/un-expert-warn...
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/damning-evidenc...
ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/gaza-un-expert...
who.int/news/item/17-10-2023-who-statement-on-atta...
msf.org.uk/article/unconditional-humanity-needs-be...
actionaid.org/news/2023/horrific-breach-humanitari...
strathunion.com/news/article/strathunion/Exec-Stat...
openletter.earth/academics-for-ceasefire-66d3f22f...
ucu.org.uk/article/13297/UCU-statement-on-educatio...
docs.google.com/document/d/1dZazEj-IwEhVJeiGdElzZy...
un.org/en/genocideprevention/genocide.shtml...
universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20231107142...
On Monday 29th Jan at 5-7pm, a Palestine Open Forum event will be held at Strathclyde's Mandela auditorium (T&L Building). Please mark the date, come along and bring a couple of colleagues/friends to hear from Palestinian voices and contribute to the discussion around actions of solidarity that we can take as staff/students at Strathclyde and collaborations across Scottish institutions. This will be an inclusive and open space where everyone feels welcome irrespective of their background or level of knowledge about the topic.
To sign up, please see link:
forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=YwceYz...
Please feel free to copy this message and share it with colleagues and friends.
Reminder:
On Monday 29th Jan at 5-7pm, a Palestine Open Forum event will be held at Strathclyde's Mandela auditorium (T&L Building). Please mark the date, come along and bring a couple of colleagues/friends to hear from Palestinian voices and contribute to the discussion around actions of solidarity that we can take as staff/students at Strathclyde and collaborations across Scottish institutions. This will be an inclusive and open space where everyone feels welcome irrespective of their background or level of knowledge about the topic.
To sign up, please copy link or turn up on the day:
forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=YwceYz...
Please feel free to copy this message and share it with colleagues and friends.