As students we call on you as our University and our Students’ Union to make these changes. We also demand as our Students’ Union that you help us to pressure the University into acting on these demands.
Section 1: Public Statement
1a) The University of Leicester updates its statement making it clear that the state of Israel must be condemned for the mass killing of civilian Palestinians. Failing this the University should at least alter the statement to list the numbers of casualties and in particular child casualties on both sides.
1b) The University of Leicester and the UoL students’ union makes a public apology acknowledging that the way they handled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine vs how they have handled the genocide of the Palestinian people; was unequal in support and gave the impression to students that they believe that white people’s lives matter more than the lives of Arabs.
1c) The University publicly recognises that all of the 12 higher education facilities in Gaza have been systematically and intentionally destroyed or damaged, in what has been dubbed 'scholasticide' [1]. 95 academic staff have been killed, 88,000 students have been deprived of education and 555 were not granted international scholarships. [2]
1d) The University updates its public statement to include information on the provisional ICJ ruling on genocide noting that all states party to the genocide convention, including the UK, have a duty to implement the orders of the ICJ and prevent genocide.
1e) Upon the University failing to act on our requests, the Students' Union put out their own statement that actually reflects the views of students
Section 2: Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
2a) The University does everything within its legal power to divest from brands that are profiting from, financially supporting or publicly supporting the Israeli apartheid and genocide. And where it is not possible to do so the University provide reasons for why they cannot take such measures
2b) The University does not allow companies and brands to advertise themselves on campus that are actively aiding the ongoing genocide and apartheid of Palestinians. In particular but not limited to companies that are producing weaponry being used to kill Palestinians e.g. BAE systems, MBDA, Leonardo to name just some.
2c) Where possible the University removes all brands from campus that are publicly or financially supporting the genocide and apartheid of Palestinians by the state of Israel in particular but not limited to: HP, CocaCola and all of its subsidiaries (SmartWater etc), Pepsi, Starbucks.
2d) The University implements a full academic boycott of Israeli Universities which have shown to be willing and persistent accomplaces in Israel's apartheid and genocidal regime. [3]
Section 3: Malcolm Shaw
3a) The University publicly acknowledges and reprimands Emeritus professor Malcolm Shaw as being in breach of the University’s dignity and respect policy for Islamophobia. Failing this, the University publicly acknowledges that its dignity and respect policy is entirely performative and in reality they do not care if staff members are in breach of it. [4]
3b) The University and the UoL Students’ Union acknowledges that Malcolm Shaw's views do not reflect the views of students or other staff.
Section 4: Supporting Palestinians
4a) The University of Leicester explores collaborative projects with Palestinian educational institutions including scholarships, academic fellowships and twinning arrangements with Universities in the occupied territories.
4b) The University encourages staff and students to educate themselves on both the history and current state of the relationship between Israel and Palestine and the UK’s influence in this.
4c) The University looks to donate and encourages its staff to donate to charities seeking to provide necessary aid to those suffering genocide in the Gaza strip.
References and Additional Information
[1] Scholars against the war on palestine define scholasticide here document
[2] Euro-Med Rights Monitor
[3] BDS info on academic boycotting
[4] University of Leicester Dignity and Respect Definitions document
“The APPG definition is supplemented by a list of contemporary examples that include but are not limited to:
· Calling for, aiding, instigating or justifying the killing or harming of Muslims in the name of a racist/ fascist ideology, or an extremist view of religion.
· Accusing Muslims as a group, or Muslim majority states, of inventing or exaggerating Islamophobia, ethnic cleansing or genocide perpetrated against Muslims.
· Denying Muslim populations the right to self-determination e.g., by claiming that the existence of an independent Palestine [ ] is a terrorist endeavour.”