The University of Queensland (UQ) Gaza solidarity encampment will end, with mid-year holidays approaching.
UQ Students for Palestine said in a statement published on social media that “as the semester winds up, we believe there is no point in persisting with a physical camp” as “during the uni break there is nothing much to disrupt” and “far fewer students on campus to draw into the movement.”
“We’ve decided, after the amazing success of the Student General Meeting (SGM), to end our encampment today,” UQ Students for Palestine said.
At the May 29 SGM “over 1500 students voted to call on the University to cut ties with weapons companies involved in the genocide in Gaza,” according to UQ Students for Palestine.
“This historic turnout is a testament to the power of the determined, democratic and unified movement we have built through our encampment.”.
According to UQ Management, “UQ Muslim Students for Palestine” and the UQ Student Union (UQU) have signed a Statement of Commitment with the University. The Statement binds the University disclosing ties to Israel and increasing humanitarian scholarships on the proviso that the encampment is dismantled today, June 1.
The Statement of Commitment also requires to “in good faith, take all reasonable steps to ensure that no disruptive protests are organised to occur during the University’s exam periods and graduation ceremonies.”
However, UQ Students for Palestine “did not endorse this deal or sign it,” according to a social media post published by the movement.
“We will not sign any agreement which limits our ability to protest, especially not when the university continues to accept millions from weapons companies and the Pentagon.
“We don’t think the university should be working with or supporting arms companies in any way,” said UQ Students for Palestine, “if the university actually wants to provide ‘transparency’ and help desperate people from Gaza, they should do so.”
UQ Students for Palestine did “recognise the scholarships as a step forward,” and have called for their extension. “However, we do not believe disclosure should be celebrated as a victory,” UQ Students for Palestine noted, as “disclosure does nothing to structurally change UQ’s links to these corporations.”
“In coming days, Students for Palestine will be calling open organising meetings for all students who want to join us,” the movement’s organisers said, “next semester, the student rebellion will continue until you end your complicity in apartheid and genocide.”
The Statement of Commitment maintains that “the University of Queensland is committed to academic freedom, which means that our staff and students will be involved in a range of collaborative research projects.”
UQ’s commitments are limited to the development and publication of a “Sensitive Research Statement” and an annually updated table disclosing “research grants, research contracts, and financial support for PhD students funded by weapons manufacturing corporations” linked to the University.
The table will also disclose all “holdings by the University” in weapons manufacturers and enterprises “referenced in the UN Human Rights Council Resolution 31-36 database.”
UQ must also produce an Anti-racism Commitment, “supported by a speaker series to build an understanding of different perspectives and lived experiences,” alongside doubling the UQ Refugee and Humanitarian Scholarship intake “with a focus on supporting students from Gaza.”
UQ Vice Chancellor Deborah Terry thanked UQ Muslim Students for Palestine, Camp Shalom, and the UQU, saying “their contributions have played a significant role in helping us progress towards an end to the encampments.”
“I know that the past few weeks have been difficult and divisive for many of our staff and students,” Terry said, “and I am hopeful that the work we have committed to undertake will help to rebuild unity.”
This follows a May 16 University of Queensland Senate meeting, which according to UQ Chancellor Peter Varghese “reaffirmed its commitment to freedom of expression as a foundational principle” but “noted that this freedom did not extend to actions on University land which disrupted the orderly business of the University.”
Freedom of expression also did not extend to “speech intended or likely to humiliate, intimidate, harass or bully other persons,” said Varghese.
Varghese also said that “the University’s leadership has regularly checked-in with the leaders of the encampments and consulted with them in an effort to agree on a peaceful end to the occupation of the Great Court.”
Varghese claimed that the Senate “expressed its concern that the continuation of encampments might pose a risk of disruption to the operations of the University and to the safety and wellbeing of students and staff.”
