Clarification of Demands

There is a CUSU council meeting tonight where proposals for and against the current occupation of the law faculty by Cambridge Gaza Solidarity are being discussed. We would like to take this opportunity to clear up any confusion over our requests.

- That the university issue a statement on the situation which condemns Israel's action in Gaza.
As a concrete realisation of this, we are pushing for the university to sign up to the 'Universities UK' statement condemning the destruction of the educational institutions in Gaza. This is not in contravention of charities regulation as it is an explicitly humanitarian rather than political statement.

- That the university provide academic aid to universities in Gaza
We are researching transport options for donations of equipment from the departments and colleges, and asking for monetary aid to be sent directly to academic institutions in Gaza. This is consistent with the university's status as an educational charity.

- That Cambridge University commit to a day of fundraising for humanitarian aid in Gaza.
We are asking for a day of fundraising facilitated by the university, raising funds for the DEC and Interpal.

- That Cambridge University grant scholarships to Palestinian students every year.
Scholarships solely for Palestinians do not pose a major problem of discrimination; there are already in existence similar country or region specific funds, for example, a fund exists for students from South Africa.

- That the university and its colleges disinvest from the arms trade.
This is an ongoing and well-established CUSU campaign.

- That no student will face punishment or repercussions, legal or otherwise, for participating in this demonstration.
Official CUSU policy recognises occupation as a legitimate form of protest.

This action was necessitated by the complete silence from the university on previous attempts to engage with these issues through more conventional channels, including CUSU, and similar actions at other UK universities have shown that this can produce results. We have support from a wide range of academics, staff and students, and others including David Howarth, MP for Cambridge.

We would greatly appreciate it if you would ask your representatives (JCR presidents and external secretaries) to vote in favour of the occupation of the law faculty by Cambridge Gaza Solidarity at the CUSU council meeting tonight.