Saturday 31 January 2009

Photographs Needed

If anyone has any photos of the occupation, we would really appreciate it if you could send them to qmoccupation@gmail.com. Thankyou in advance.

QMUL Student Calls Occupation "Terrorists"

In a somewhat bizarre turn of events an apparently deluded student has branded those who support and are part of the occupation as "terrorists".

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=60269198600#/topic.php?uid=60269198600&topic=5784

Feel free to share your thoughts with this chap.

TODAY 3PM - IMPORTANT PLANNING MEETING

Can all please attend we need as many people as possible to discuss our next steps.

Friday 30 January 2009

Important Planning Meeting

There will be an important planning meeting taking place tomorrow, Saturday 31st of January, at 3.00pm in room 1.13.
Please make every effort to attend.

QM Academic Support

Members of staff from Queen Mary have expressed their support for the Occupation:

(this list will be constantly updated as messages come to us)

Professor Donald Sassoon (Comparative European History)

I share your sense of outrage for the unjustifiable Israeli onslaught on the people of Gaza. I hope that a settlement similar to that reached at Kings (and, I think, at the LSE) can be reached also at QM. I will try to visit FB113 on Wednesday if the occupation is still on.



Dr. Miran Epstein (Senior Lecturer in Medical Ethics and Law, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry)

Please be aware that not all Israelis support the recent crimes of their government. I, for example, give my full support to you.


Jacqueline Rose

http://queenmaryoccupation.blogspot.com/2009/02/support-from-message-of-support-from.html




Dr. Stefan Schwarzkopf (School of Business and Management)

It's great to see that political passion and the care for the suffering of other people is alive and well among QMUL students. I whole-heartedly support your actions.


Dr Richard Saull (Lecturer in International Politics)

I share your concerns, in particular with the highly disproportionate Israeli military assault on Gaza, (especially its consequences in the huge numbers of civilian deaths and injuries caused by Israeli forces) in response to rocket attacks on southern Israel (which themselves are no justification for Israeli actions) and the continuing blockade of the Gaza Strip and its humanitarian consequences.

I have some sympathy with your occupation and your expression of solidarity, as well as some of your demands.


Dr Madeleine Davis (Lecturer - Political Ideas and Hispanic and Latin America)

Good to see the occupations making the news - you've probably seen this already
best of luck!
Madeleine


Dr. Roberto Veneziani (Lecturer in Economics)

Dear occupants

What happened in Gaza is terrible. The suffering of a man in some part of the globe is the suffering of all men everywhere in the globe.

I am abroad at the moment but next week I will definitely come to FB 1.13 to one of your meetings.


Costa Dimitriou (LLU)

Hello activists,

I've already visited and I am happy to see your concern for this issue.
Many of my colleagues are also participating in various activities like the speeches.

I've seen your blog and you are apparently asking the Uni to send amongst other things, some computer parts. If this helps, the loading dock of Francis Bancroft building has a pile of older computer stuff which is just lying around.

best of luck from your neighbours.

Costa Dimitriou
Language and Learning Unit

Early Day Motion in Parliament to Support Occuaptions

The following parliamentary motion has been tabled:

EDM 626 STUDENT OCCUPATIONS 28.01.2009 McDonnell, John 2 signatures

Corbyn, Jeremy

That this House praises the wave of student occupations across the country against Israel's unlawful invasion and bombing of Gaza; regrets that an estimated thousand Palestinians have been killed as a direct result of the recent Israeli invasion of Gaza with many more people injured and suffering ongoing hardship; and welcomes the engagement of young people in protesting against the unfolding human tragedy in Gaza by taking direct action at numerous institutions including Cambridge University, Essex University, Kings College London, Manchester Metropolitan University, Oxford University, Queen Mary University London and Sussex University.

Professor Noam Chomsky Supports QM


One of the most influential intellectuals alive has declared his support for the Queen Mary Occupation in Solidarity with Gaza. In personal comments sent to the Occupation Professor Chomsky wrote:

I am very pleased to learn about your courageous and honorable actions, particularly significant because of the crucial British contribution to the savage onslaught on Gaza, 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 monstrous crimes to an end.


Thursday 29 January 2009

Bruce Kent - Will Be Speaking Today 5pm!



Bruce Ken speaking previously.

PUBLIC MEETING 1PM TODAY FB113

There is a public meeting today in Francis Bancroft room 113. Hundreds expected to attend and many prominent speakers including Lindsay German and Jacqueline Rose.

Invite everyone!!

Meetings!

Good morning from FB113!

We are holding several meetings throughtout the day the first of which will be a planning meeting at 10am. We'd love everyone to come along to this and help us discuss the direction of our campaign.

There is another meeting at 1pm which will involve visiting speakers and perhaps more of a debate. We will keep you updated about this!

We're looking forward to seeing you soon, even if you can't stay any messages of support will be appreciated!

Nottingham Occupied!!

Congratulations and welcome to Nottingham, recently announced to have started an occupation too! We will let you know more details as they come in, anyone with information please get in contact: qmoccupation@gmail.com
thanks and good luck!!

Wednesday 28 January 2009

New & Improved manifesto

We as students of Queen Mary are occupying lecture room FB 1.13 in the College to protest against the recognised war crimes in Gaza committed by the Israeli Government, and to show our solidarity with the oppressed peoples in the region. We are pursuing this course of action to maintain the momentum of other student protests in Universities across the U.K.
As students of this institution, we unreservedly object on moral grounds to the University’s failure to boycott goods supplied by companies who fund military operations in Gaza.
Furthermore, we have strong reasons to believe the University is financially involved with arms dealers GKN and Cobham. We find this morally unacceptable and ask for complete transparency on the part of the University regarding any investments in the arms trade. It will be our policy to seek to expose this issue and open it up for debate within the College.
We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused to either staff or students at our College; however, we have been motivated to act on the basis of our moral convictions.

We demand:

For the acting Principal to condemn, on behalf of the College, all attacks on Gaza, especially the shelling of several UN schools and a University.

That the University publish a comprehensive list of all investments made in public and private bodies. If it is found that any of the shares belong to companies who are involved in arms dealings that perpetuate violence and war, we would demand that all ties be severed and the University subscribe to an ethical investment policy.

Donate used and surplus equipment, such as computers, books and journals to Palestinian Universities in need of aid.

That the Queen Mary management formally condemns the British Broadcasting Corporation for their lack of impartiality epitomised in their refusal to air the Disaster Emergency Committee Gaza humanitarian appeal film.

We also call on the University to set up an international scholarship program of ten places for disadvantaged Palestinian students who wish to study here.

That there be no legal, financial, or academic measures taken against anyone involved in or supporting the occupation. Students involved should be guaranteed free movement in and out of the space.

N.B

After considerable research into the financial and ideological background of the Starbucks Corporation, we have decided to withdraw our demand that products of the Starbucks franchise should cease to be sold on campus. Despite our misgivings about Howard Schultz the C.E.O. of Starbucks, we feel that there is insufficient evidence that the company is involved in financing the Israeli military.
We therefore replace the demand with the aforementioned condemnation of the BBC. We believe that this is a much more pertinent issue for the people of Gaza, as well as the College.

CONGRATULATIONS SHEFFIELD HALLAM

http://shuoccupation.blogspot.com/

'With the success of occupations throughout the UK, Sheffield Hallam students and workers from around the city voted to occupy the tenth floor of the Owen building. This is to make practical demands of the university in solidarity with Palestinians and to condemn the actions of the Israeli state.'

excellent news!

PUBLIC MEETING 1PM TODAY FB113

All are invited and encouraged to attend the meeting today in Francis Bancroft Room 113 at 1pm!!!

Tell everyone you know, see you at one!!
Good morning from room 1.13! Just a quick note to say we are still here and awaiting a visit from the university management.
The room is open to all, please don't feel nervous about coming to visit, there are plenty of people willing to speak to you and discuss any issues you might have with the occupation or the situation in Gaza itself.
You can also email us at qmoccupation@googlemail.com with any messages of support, any queries and so forth.
We are currently in the process of creating a timetable for the next few days which will include talks, debates and workshops. In the meantime there will be a public meeting to discuss our aims and plans at 1pm today in the room, once again all are welcome

QM occupation

Queen Mary student's demands

We as Queen Mary students are occupying lecture room FB113 in the College to show our solidarity with the students across the UK who have taken similar actions as a protest against the recognised war crimes in Gaza.
As students of this institution, we unreservedly object on moral grounds to the University’s failure to boycott goods supplied by companies who fund military operations in Gaza.
Furthermore, we have reason to believe the University is financially involved with arms dealers GKN and Cobham.
We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused to either staff or students at our College, however we have been motivated to act on the basis of our moral convictions.


We demand:


For the acting Principal to condemn, on behalf of the College, all attacks on educational institutions in Gaza, including the shelling of several UN schools and a University.
That the University publish a comprehensive list of all investments made in public and private bodies. If it is found that any of the shares belong to companies who are involved in arms dealings that perpetuate violence and war, we would demand that all ties be severed and the University amend its ethical investment policy.


Donate used and surplus equipment, such as computers, books and journals to Palestinian Universities in need of aid.


We also call on the University to end the sale of Starbucks products on the campus due to Starbuck’s continued financial support of the Israeli aggression.


We also call on the University to open up our international scholarship program to disadvantaged Palestinian students who wish to study here.


That there be no legal, financial, or academic measures taken against anyone involved in or supporting the sit-in. Students involved should be guaranteed free movement in and out of the space.

Tuesday 27 January 2009

Messages of solidarity!

We've had some great messages of solidarity from other universities across the country. 
Thanks to:


Here are the links to occupation blogs at other universities too, as well as the link to a blog covering all occupations:

A few other messages from people:

"woop! Smash the system" - Ciaran Osborne, Civil Servant

"From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" - Solidarity from Sussex Occupation


Thanks for all of your support, we'll be updating with our demands and progress throughout the night.




Queen Mary university occupied in solidarity with the people of Gaza


We are occupying Room 1.13 of the Frances Bancroft building - please come and show your support, all are welcome and we are in the process of booking speakers and academics to come and talk with us!

Queen Mary Stop the War Coalition