Tuesday 10 February 2009

Day 2 Update

We have been attempting to maintain lines of communication with senior management , as we have been consistently from before the occupation started. We have found it difficult to talk to management as they have refused to give us any concrete response to any of our written correspondence. We have also been consistently keen to negotiate face to face with the Principal. However, although their has been an offer extended for a delegation of us to meet him, we have been reluctant to accept this as the University has so far been inconsistent in its dealings with us, including the incident this morning where we were lied to over a freedom of movement issue whilst in talks with senior management. We outlined a clear proposal for meeting the Principal on neutral ground, however, this was rejected. We want to underline the fact that we do not consider that we are obstructing negotiations in any way and that we are disappointed that the Principal has refused to adequately respond to our written communication.

Today, in the space of a few hours, dozens of supporters of the occupation rallied outside and collected the signatures of 350 students and 45 lecturers who affirmed their support for the people of Palestine and called for an Extraordinary General Meeting at the SRC over Gaza. It looks like this will be happening in the next ten days or so!

We also now have over 1000 signatures across our original petitions: (http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/dec-gaza-crisis-appeal/signatures.html) and (http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/the-blood-money-stops-now.html).

There was a large and visible presence on campus today, and an STV film crew turned up to film proceedings, as did a journalist from the Scotsman. Journalists from the GU Guardian and the Strathclyde Uni paper were also reporting. Later in the day, a journalist from Radio Clyde came to interview supporters outside (the University have not allowed press into the building at any point during the occupation). There was a 20-minute live interview with Radio Avaaz and a live five-minute interview with Sunny Govan Radio! (http://www.sunnygovancommunitymedia.org/). We are expecting more media coverage tomorrow, including journalists from the Herald and Sunny Govan.

There have been countless messages of support from around Scotland, the UK and the world. Those sending the messages have included: MSPs such as Bill Kidd, Sandra White and Pauline McNeil - Iain Ferguson, candidate for President, UCU Scotland - numerous academics - Lindsay German, National Convenor Stop the War Coalition - Scottish Jews for a Just Peace - Alex Mosson, former Lord Provost of Glasgow and honorary doctorate of Glasgow University - Scottish Afghan Society - Glasgow Palestine Human Rights Campaign - Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees - GU Action Palestine - Aamer Anwar, human rights lawyer - Michael Lavalette, Preston City Councillor - Tommy Sheridan, Solidarity Scotland - UNITE Scottish Housing Branch - Scotland Against Criminalising Communities - Colin Turbett, Unison North Ayrshire - Katy Clark, Labour MP, North Ayshire and Arran - Scottish Socialist Party

There was a great victory today on campus as protesting students shut down a BAE stall at an intern fair! This follows the precedent around the UK as students around the country have shown that death merchants are not welcome in places of learning - several English student unions have already voted to ban arms companies from promoting themselves in their universities. Students had a noise demo outside the Bute hall and stopped BAE Systems from recruiting anyone today as University staff sealed off the building in response. Students have been demonstrating and informing people all over campus all day and are still outside making noise as I type this at 21:20! The positive response they have received from students and staff has been overwhelming.


We had a lovely surprise this afternoon when Danny Alderslowe, Green Councillor for Southside Central, paid us a visit! Danny brought up some fruit and cereal bars which were greatly appreciated, as was his message of support. More importantly, he also spent time working on the Green Party's official response and contacting a whole host of political and media contacts. He's been contacting the management directly and should be speaking at the demonstration tomorrow.

STOP PRESS

Following a debate tonight in the GUU over the BBC's decision not to show the DEC appeal, we have an assurance that the Rt Hon Charles Kennedy, University Rector, will be coming to the liberated space tomorrow to meet the occupiers and discuss what's been happening! We will also be holding a press conference (see press release).

10 comments:

  1. I can't believe you guys are proud of yourselves for shutting down a stall at an internship fair.

    You childish idiots, there are people in this uni interested in getting engineering experience (not necessarily at 'making weapons') that you've disadvantaged. Think about that when you're living in a commune in thirty years time.

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  2. Bob is right! You should not act on principle---work experience alone is important! BAE Systems doesn't care whether it can have an intern stall or not: it is not important to BAE that it be accepted as normal, as if its business was legitimate. You childish idiots, when you grow up you will realise that all that matters is JOBS and INCOME. Who cares what happens in the world so long as I am okay? And anyway, there's really no different between a truck and a tank.

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  3. "There was a large and visible presence on campus today". Well sorry, as a Computer Science student I beg to differ. Apart from your 11am demonstration (which attracted about 30 people, nowhere near the number you claimed in a previous post)there's been a no more than 3-8 people at a time standing outside the Sir Alwyn Williams building at any point of the day. I know this because I walk by every few hours to go to class and I can see you out of the Boyd Orr lab window. Maybe I should post my own photo evidence of how much of a joke your protest really is?

    Oh yeah and speaking of protests, we're having one of our own...
    http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=64150370711&ref=mf

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  4. Perspective vortex - I see that one of the demands is

    "Written confirmation that there will be no disciplinary, academic or legal repercussions for anyone involved in or supporting the occupation"

    how very brave.

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  5. To 'Sir Alwyn Williams',
    you made it very clear that you don't know the difference between a stall and a protest. The "3-8 people at a time standing outside the Sir Alwyn Williams building at any point of the day" is a stall.
    Also you are showing your true selfishness because you are complaining about a 2 day occupation of a building that you do not use for lectures or tutorials ( I am also a computer science student) when the people of Gaza have been suffering under an Israeli Occupation for more than 60 years! do your research and find the truth.

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  6. I was refering to "There was a large and visible presence on campus today". There wasn't.

    And I don't care less about gaining access to the SAW building, I just dislike people who jump on the political bandwagon to stroke their own over-inflated ego. Most of the 'demands' are superficial and could have been easily achieved if the students took the offer of a meeting with the principle rather than starting an illegal occupation. But that wouldn't have been noticable enough would it? "Look at me! Look at meeee!!"

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  7. Dear Blogger,
    I was interested by your comment that 'The people of Gaza have been suffering under an Israeli Occupation for more than 60 years! do your research and find the truth.' I decided to do said research and found out some interesting results. Israel had no presence in Gaza before the 1967 war. Therefore, the people of Gaza have not been 'occupied' for more than 60 years. Indeed since 2005, Israel has also not had a presence in Gaza, following its complete withdrawal. If you are referring to the Palestinian people being occupied for more than 60 years then you are obviously talking in reference to the creation of the state of Israel and your claim that Israel has been occupying this land for this entire period, is an indication that you deny Israel's right to exist.

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  8. ChrisC --

    "Written confirmation that there will be no disciplinary, academic or legal repercussions for anyone involved in or supporting the occupation

    how very brave."

    Isn't that just asking Glasgow U to respect the right of protest?

    It might not be so brave if this request had gone in before the protest started: but I'm guessing it didn't.

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  9. Alex --

    "your claim that Israel has been occupying this land for this entire period, is an indication that you deny Israel's right to exist"

    Only a weak indication. Someone who was really pleased that Israel existed, but wished it would behave differently, could also make that claim. ("Israel acts like an occupier," they might say, "if only there had been some meaningful democratic process.")

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  10. "There was a great victory today on campus as protesting students shut down a BAE stall at an intern fair! This follows the precedent around the UK as students around the country have shown that death merchants are not welcome in places of learning - several English student unions have already voted to ban arms companies from promoting themselves in their universities. Students had a noise demo outside the Bute hall and stopped BAE Systems from recruiting anyone today as University staff sealed off the building in response. Students have been demonstrating and informing people all over campus all day and are still outside making noise as I type this at 21:20! The positive response they have received from students and staff has been overwhelming."

    This is complete rubbish. Your very ineffective protest had no effect whatsoever on anyone at the recruitment event. It was already a closed event, signed up for in advance by the attendees, who had all been there already for some hours before you turned up. You also left before it finished, and before most people left the event.

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