Contact details for the occupation
Visit their website for more on the occupation.
To help leaflet meet the street team at 12.00 every day in the Bute cafe, Bute Building.
Contact the occupiers:
Alys: 07970311943
Jonny (Street Team): 07506715619
Email: cardiffstudentsagainstwar@gmail.com
Facebook: Cardiff Students Against War
Contact details for the university
Vice Chancellor Dr David Grant
Email: v-c@cardiff.ac.uk.
Occupation
Started - 24th February 2009
Ended - 26th February 2009
Where - Shandon Large Lecture in the Main Building
Why - in solidarity with the people of Gaza
Demands
Their demands are:
1. No repercussions for students involved in the occupation. (This demand has been met).
2. Cardiff University to divest all shares, direct or indirect, from arms manufacturers and aerospace companies.
3. Cardiff University to adopt an ethical investment policy that excludes the arms trade. This process is to be mediated by external ethical auditors based on responses of Cardiff University students and staff. The ethical investment policy to be freely available to all students and staff.
4. Cardiff University to be twinned with a Gazan university, to show support for the Gazan people at this desperate time.
The twinning is to involve:
a) Scholarships for at least 5 Gazan students to study in Cardiff, and for Cardiff University to help facilitate their travel.
b) Surplus books, computers and other educational materials to be sent to the twinned university.
5. Cardiff University to release a statement in condemnation of Israel’s bombing and the blockade of Gaza, and in condemnation of the UK government’s use of British armed forces as part of this blockade.
6. An official day of solidarity with Gaza supported by Cardiff University.
7. Cardiff University to issue a statement of support for Saudi ex-BAE trade unionist Yahya Al Faifi, who is currently fighting deportation from the UK.
8. No Israeli products to be sold in university shops.
9. Cardiff University to actively promote the Disaster Emergency Committee appeal for Gaza, including a banner on the website, and to issue a statement condemning the BBC and Sky News for not running the DEC Gaza appeal advert.
Negotiation
26th February 2009
They win their main demand:
Cardiff University has divested all shares from BAe Systems and the aerospace arm of General Electric! They have instructed their external fund managers to avoid future investments in the arms trade, and have promised to raise the issue of an ethical investment policy at the next Council Meeting on May 18th.
Occupiers recieve the offer in letter form and after discussions accept it
1pm - Occupiers discuss the offer from the university
Louise Casella, the Strategic Development Director emails to say the university “has divested from BAe Systems and the aerospace arm of General Electric, and has ‘asked its external fund managers not to invest in these areas in the future’.”
24th February 2009
- Preliminary negotiations take place with the Director of Strategic Development Louise Casella who guarantees that no repercussions will be taken against students and staff for taking part in the occupation.
- Students occupy the Shandon lecture theatre.
Support
What you can do to support the students
25th February 2009
Academics at university attend teach-ins in the occupied space. At 2pm they had a live link up with student in Gaza. They have messages of support from other occupations, and media coverage.
They received a message of support from Chomsky and Saudi trade unionist Yahya Al-Faifi spoke about his experiences working for BAE Systems in Saudi Arabia.
Repercussions/Intimidation
There appear to be none to date.
Protest
26th Febraury 2009
The occupiers ended the occupation with a march around campus.
Success
26th Febraury 2009
They have won three demands:
1. No repercussions for students involved in the occupation. (This demand has been met).
2. Cardiff University to divest all shares, direct or indirect, from arms manufacturers and aerospace companies. (Cardiff University has divested all shares from BAe Systems and the aerospace arm of General Electric.)
3. Cardiff University to adopt an ethical investment policy that excludes the arms trade. This process is to be mediated by external ethical auditors based on responses of Cardiff University students and staff. The ethical investment policy to be freely available to all students and staff. (They have instructed their external fund managers to avoid future investments in the arms trade, and have promised to raise the issue of an ethical investment policy at the next Council Meeting on May 18th.)
