Adelaide University Gaza Encampment to wind up!
The students who have maintained an encampment at Adelaide University since 1 May 2024 issued the following announcement today, 27 May 2024:
We're wrapping up the encampment but continuing our campaign for divestment. The uni is yet to meet with us about our demands. We won't stop fighting. Thank you for all the support from the community, we hope you'll continue fighting alongside us for a free Palestine.
Media release
Students for Palestine Adelaide - Media release
28 May 2024 - For immediate release
Next phase of Gaza Solidarity at the University of Adelaide - encampment to end, campaign to continue
After four weeks of their protest camp, students participating in the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at the University of Adelaide have made the decision to move their divestment campaign to a new phase. This will involve packing up the camp this week and taking up other tactics, such as organising a vote on divestment demands at a mass student general meeting.
Since May 1st, Students for Palestine have maintained a protest encampment on the Maths Lawns of the University of Adelaide. Inspired by similar protests in the United States and across Australia, this protest camp has drawn attention to the connections that exist between the University of Adelaide and weapons companies that support and enable Israel’s war on Gaza.
Regular on campus rallies involved hundreds of students, and drew attention to the ties between the university and Israel’s war. This includes the university’s participation in the Defence Trailblazer program, which involves weapons companies such as Babcock, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Thales.
Students continued the protest camp despite repeated and cowardly fireworks attacks at night. In response to these attacks, rallies on campus drew in protesters in defence of the camps and in support of a free Palestine.
The camp saw supporters and visitors from a wide range of groups. Visitors included President of the Islamic Society of South Australia Ahmed Zreika, Nowar Shahrouri of the Palestinian community, Greens MLCs Tammy Franks and Robert Simms, and SA Best MLC Connie Bonaros. Various community, religious and activist groups visited, gave talks and made donations to the encampment and helped it to succeed.
The Students for Palestine activists have received no response to their demands from the University of Adelaide. This reflects poorly on the institution, which has been able to give no defence or justification for their ongoing connections to weapons companies.
Nonetheless, with many university classes starting to end and students leaving campus, student protesters have decided to pack down the encampment and take up other tactics.
There will be a final protest at the encampment on Tuesday May 28 at 2pm. Students for Palestine have then announced plans for a student general meeting. Already hundreds of signatures have been collected from students at the University of Adelaide calling for this meeting to take place. This motion would vote on the demands of the divestment campaign. Having these demands passed by a mass meeting of hundreds of students would make clear to the university that students do not want their education to be complicit in war and genocide.
“Our solidarity encampment has made Palestine an issue the university can’t ignore” says activist Briana Symonds-Manne. “We’ve drawn attention to the university’s weapons connections. We’ve talked to thousands of students and shown the wide level of support for a free Palestine and an end to Israel’s war.”
“We’re not giving up” says activist El Hall. “Israel’s horrific war is continuing, and the university still refuses to cut ties with companies that support it. We’ll keep protesting over the exams period and into the winter break, and when semester starts back up we’ll have a mass student meeting.”
The final rally of the encampment will be at 2pm on Tuesday May 28, at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment located on the Math Lawns of the University of Adelaide.
Media spokespeople
Briana Symonds-Manne
Students for Palestine
0439 702 828
El Hall
Students for Palestine
0423 223 422
"Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest."
On Wednesday 1 May 2024, Students for Palestine Adelaide set up their encampment on the Maths Lawns at Adelaide University in solidarity with the Palestinians and to demand the University discloses it’s investments with Israel and companies that support Israel and to divest from those investments.
This encampment is one of 6 set up so far at Australian universities. They have been inspired by the students at Colombia and other universities throughout the US and now around the world, as a massive student movement grows to protest the genocide in Gaza and Israeli apartheid.
AFOPA is proud to support these students and has provided them with material resources such as marquees, a white board, placards and a donation of funds to maintain the encampment.
We will keep this blog updated as we get more information from the encampment.
Please visit the students to support them. Email us your photos to add to this blog at secretary@afopa.com.au
UPDATES
20 May 2024
Adelaide University students call Rally Against Weapons Companies on Campus, Wednesday, 22 May 2024, 2:00 pm 3:00 pm
See why in the video below.
9 May 2024: AFOPA CONDEMN VICE CHANCELLORS SEEKING TO BAN STUDENT ENCAMPMENTS
See AFOPA’s media alert that was sent this evening to all Australian media outlets, after articles in the Australian press today reported on actions by Australian university vice chancellors against the student Gaza encampments. Today the Age newspaper reported:
"The nation’s biggest universities are seeking legal advice from federal authorities on how to respond to protesters who call for an “intifada” against Israel amid a political row over public chants that back the use of violence. The universities have written to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to gain formal advice on whether the pro-Palestinian demand is a breach of federal law, setting up a crucial decision on ways to ban the protesters from university grounds".
AFOPA is undeterred in its support of the brave students around the world, in Australia and especially those on Adelaide University campus, who established their Student Gaza Encampment on Wednesday 1 May. We stand with them!
6 May 2024: ATTACK ON ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY STUDENT GAZA ENCAMPMENT
Just before 9:40pm and again just after 10:20pm on Monday 6 May, the Student Gaza encampment at Adelaide University was attacked. Fireworks were thrown into the encampment causing damage to some of the tents, fortunately no one was injured.
Read AFOPA’s Media release about this cowardly attack [click here]
The students have called a snap rally at 4pm Tuesday 7 May 2024 to show solidarity with the encampment and to demand the Israelis do not launch an assault on Rafah.
Photos by Jeanie Lucas