Gerald Lynch
La Trobe University students are continuing to protest following a forced closure of their Gaza solidarity encampment.
On Thursday, May 23, students and staff gathered at the Agora at La Trobe’s Bundoora campus, equipped with banners, flyers, and loud voices.
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” chants echoed around the open space, as the group continued to push its demands for the university to cut its ties with Honeywell and CISCO, international corporations with alleged ties to attacks on Palestinians, as well as cutting its partnership with Tel Aviv University in Israel.
It followed Students for Palestine La Trobe’s decision to set up an encampment at the Bundoora campus, which ran for two weeks.
On Friday, May 17, the university told protestors to remove the encampment from the Agora within 48 hours.
The university issued a second notice on Monday, May 20, advising that it had informed organisers of the encampment that it would “commence misconduct proceedings against them” for failing to comply with the May 17 directive to disband the encampment.
Protest organiser and student, Maeve Russack said she felt the university’s treatment on students was unfair.
She said the university’s decision to begin disciplinary proceedings against people involved in the encampment was a “pretty rapid escalation”.
La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor Theo Farrell said the removal of the encampment was a measure of student and staff safety, while noting the protests at the university have been relatively peaceful and no classes interrupted.
He said the university had no direct financial investments in companies affiliated with war or war machinery.
“Honeywell is a facilities management subcontractor to Agribio, which is operated by the Bioscience Research Centre Co,” he said,
“We have advised the protest organisers that, consistent with the University’s obligations, we will continue to accommodate their right to protest peacefully and respectfully without an encampment.
“I recognise that the events in Gaza and in the region are distressing to many in our University community, particularly for those with family, cultural and other ties to the region.”
There will be another protest at La Trobe University at 12pm on Thursday, May 30, focusing on the CISCO partnership La Trobe has, as the group claims the technology company has linked together occupied territories across Palestine.
