A number of UGent colleagues launched a call for UGent staff members to join the students in their occupation action next Monday evening, May 13, 2024, from 6 p.m.
ACOD UGent endorses this initiative and calls on everyone to come in large numbers and show their support for this occupation action by the students, and in this way to support the demand towards the board of governors to reverse its decision and to to follow the advice of the human rights committee of Ghent University regarding cooperation with Israeli academic institutions.
We hope for a massive meeting in the UFO next Monday evening 13/5 from 6 pm!
(You cannot be there at that time? Do not hesitate to visit the UFO at another time to support the activists!)
Below you can find an English translation of the call launched by the UGent-colleagues. The original call in Dutch (and the list of the people who launched it) can be found on this page.
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Dear colleagues
On Monday evening and night we will join the students in the occupation action in the UFO. It is our signal that we, staff members of Ghent University, also do not agree with our university's policy regarding cooperation with Israeli academic institutions.
Do you feel addressed and will you participate?
On Friday, May 3, the Board of Governors of our university ignored an advice from the Human Rights Committee. In that advice, the committee argued against entering into new bilateral collaborations with Israeli universities as long as the current situation continues.
We are disappointed and outraged that our university is not following the advice of its human rights committee. In this committee, human rights experts enter into dialogue with each other and make well-considered proposals. The situation in Gaza is extremely serious and fundamental. The reports are increasingly alarming.
We love our work and our university. Ghent University is part of our identity. It affects us deeply that we, as an academic institute, do not play a leading role in defending human rights. We cannot identify with the decision of the Board of Governors. We are happy that the students are taking the lead, even though the exams are approaching. We appreciate their commitment and fully support them.
Our action has the following goals.
- We show appreciation for the students' commitment. They are our role models in this action. We fully support them.
- We ask the board of governors to follow the advice of the Human Rights Committee. If there are valid reasons not to do this, we ask for full transparency and direct consultation.
Practical.
We will set up our tents on Monday May 13 from 6pm. We each bring our own food. The students are well organized and have a careful code of conduct based on respect for everyone. We will discuss our action further with them.
To have an idea of numbers, we ask you to complete the Google form https://forms.gle/TMJxAcjvzPnRSi5c9 by Monday afternoon at the latest so that we can more or less form an idea of how many people will be present, and so that we can can keep you informed of any changes.
Please feel free to spread this call further!
Hopefully see you on Monday,