On Wednesday May 1, a group of passionate educators and public service workers gathered to launch Boycott HP: a movement of Public Service Association (PSA) Unionists for Palestine cutting ties with their workplaces’ Hewlett-Packard (HP) devices due to political concerns. At the forum a motion passed unanimously, focussing on the need to cut ties with HP and call on the NSW Government to break military ties with Israel. In attendance at the launch were staff from the University of Sydney and members of the NSW Teachers Association, in addition to a panel of key speakers. This included Abigail Boyd, Greens NSW MP in the Legislative Council, Maryam Chekchok, teacher and member of Teachers and School Staff for Palestine, and Nick Riemer, linguistics academic and President of the National Tertiary Education Union at the University of Sydney (USyd).
At the two-hour forum held at the Arts and Cultural Exchange in Parramatta, the panelists highlighted their significant concerns behind Israeli-based technology like HP, as well as the silencing of pro-Palestinian voices in the public sector, particularly teachers in NSW schools. According to PSA for Palestine, HP is currently signed to a $24 million contract from the NSW government, and is the primary technology provided in educational settings. A Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) initiative already exists globally, with the PSA for Palestine adding NSW-specific pressure.
At the forum, speakers utilised an Acknowledgement of Country to bring awareness to the genocide of Indigenous communities occuring in Gaza, similar to the colonial bloodshed committed towards First Nations Australians. Teacher Maryam Chekchok spoke about HP’s role in limiting movement in Gaza and explained that the circumstance “is stark and it is disturbing”. As a public sector worker, Chekchok called on fellow employees to pressure schools “not to be complicit in enabling Zionism”. She also addressed the serious backlash NSW teachers are facing due to their support for Palestine, stating that “advocating for Palestine is not anti-Semetic, it is pro-humanity ”. Abigail Boyd, Greens MP, shared the challenging process of finding out just how much the NSW government is investing into HP. Pointing to a lack of political transparency, Boyd asked, “if they’re so proud of us supporting Israel, why won’t they tell us how much they’re spending?” She went on to say that the “Labor government doesn’t really want us to talk about Palestine” and yet, “our public money is providing the circuits and wires to support a genocide”.
Nick Riemer also spoke about the background of the BDS movement and their political goals. These include an end to the occupation in Gaza, the abolition of apartheid against Palestinians, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees. When queried about the effectiveness of an HP boycott, Riemer responded, “you do it as a political campaign which you hope will have knock-on effects”, with the true benefit lying not necessarily in economic limitations or setback but by “creating a mass movement and enduring long term social and political change”. He also stated that “Zionists aren’t welcome and shouldn’t be welcome”.
According to PSA for Palestine, HP provides “services for the Israeli police” and has “been the backbone of Israel’s apartheid for over a decade”. These services include data storage and security services for Israeli prisons, and servers for a “racially segregated ID card system”. This concern comes after heightened atrocities unfurl, with the death toll in Gaza exceeding 34,622 as of May 2.
PSA for Palestine is a collective of NSW public service workers campaigning against Australia’s support of Israel and can be followed via their Instagram to get involved.
