Leicester students to show solidarity with Palestine in hunger strike
Students at the University of Leicester are protesting in support of Palestinians in Gaza by going on a hunger strike according to a Leicester Action for Palestine statement seen by the Leicester Gazette. This hunger strike follows a previous occupation of Attenborough Tower in November, which resulted in 11 arrests.
On Wednesday evening, five students will go without food to stand in solidarity with the 11 individuals who were arrested. The ultimate goals of the hunger strike include urging Leicester university to 'stop banking with Barclays Bank,' 'disclose and divest' from companies linked to apartheid and genocide in Gaza, and 'demilitarize campus' by severing ties with arms companies 'aiding and profiting off of [the] genocide.'
In response to the hunger strike plans, a Leicester university spokesperson said, 'The health and wellbeing of our students is a priority and while we will continue to work closely with our community to review concerns raised, we urge students who are involved in the upcoming action to be mindful of their health.
'The devastating events in the Middle East have had a significant impact on our students and staff, including tensions between different perspectives and groups. We strongly condemn the loss of innocent and civilian life, and we continue to offer support for all of our University community. We have been engaging with student and staff groups on this issue over the last year and we are committed to listening to their concerns. This has resulted in the university reviewing what can be done in respect of the companies identified as part of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement as well as initiatives such as our scholarship schemes and support for displaced Medics.'
In October, British banking giant Barclays sold all of its investment shareholdings in Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, whose subsidiary, UAV Tactical Systems, has a factory in Braunstone town. However, several Palestinian solidarity organizations maintain that Barclays still has nearly £2 billion in investments in companies involved in the conflict.
According to campaigners, Leicester university has denied all Freedom of Information (FOI) requests regarding their investments. They allege that the university 'likely still holds investments in Amazon and HP,' the latter of which has contracts worth over £1.5 million. They have identified several companies 'complicit in the Zionist regime' with which the university has over '£30 million' in contracts.
Both Amazon and HP are listed by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which advocates for economic pressure on Israel to comply with international law and respect Palestinian rights.
Leicester university currently holds £7.5 million in research deals with Rolls-Royce and Siemens through their School of Engineering. Rolls-Royce is involved in producing the F-35 fighter jet, which is actively used in Gaza and the West Bank. The protestors are calling for these research projects to be scrapped and for a ban on arms companies attending university career events.
A joint statement from the students participating in the hunger strike said, 'We will continue to protest while violence and genocide continue to be normalized on our campus, and we will continue to fight for Palestinians' basic human rights by any means necessary. The university cannot continue to claim to support peace in the Middle East while working with warmongers, their hypocrisy must end.'
— Rhys Everquill in the Leicester Gazette