On September 24, the Gaza solidarity encampment at the University of Wollongong was sent an official direction to shut down and pack up their encampment from an ‘authorised person’ acting on behalf of the University administration.
The direction gave members of the encampment until September 26 at 5pm to leave with all their belongings.
Not complying with the direction may result in students suffering disciplinary penalties.
UOW argued that the encampment was in breach of UOW’s recently updated ‘Campus Access and Order Rules’ policy. The policy was amended recently to explicitly prohibit camping on University grounds.
The updated policy imitates the University of Sydney’s Campus Access Policy, which was heavily condemned and protested by students and staff. UOW students were not made aware of the policy until it was emailed to members of the encampment.
The direction to remove the encampment follows an overwhelming vote in favour of disclosure and divestment at a Student General Meeting held at UOW on September 4, and after months of Pro-Palestinian activism on campus.
The UOW encampment was established on June 12 this year. It was erected by students to protest the ties between UOW and Israel. UOW is a founding member of the Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC) – a national collaborative research centre in partnership with defence industry and research providers which is supported by the Department of Defence.
UOW has research collaborations with Bisalloy Steel. Israel was Bisalloy Steel’s largest export partner in 2017, and in 2018 it announced a $900,000 defence contract with Israel-based Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
UOW also has connections to weapons manufacturers Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, and Thales.
UOW has not committed to disclosure or divestment from these ties to defence companies and Israel.
The Human Rights Law Centre, NSW Council for Civil Liberties, and the Australian Democracy Network all wrote to Vice Chancellor John Dewar to support the existence of the encampment.
In a statement to Honi Soit, a UOW spokesperson said that “UOW upholds the principles of academic freedom and free speech, encourages open expression, free and respectful debate, and respects the right to peaceful protest.”
“UOW has a range of policies that apply to activities on our campuses and in our communities, including the Campus Access and Order Rules, Student Code of Conduct, Anti-Racism and Cultural Safety Policy and our Workplace Health and Safety Policy.
“The University has kept open lines of respectful communication with protestors, impacted student groups, and other relevant stakeholders.”
Members of the encampment have told Honi that they are firmly committed to sustaining their movement until demands are met. They are currently running a petition that demands disclosure and divestment which can be found here.
