Cardiff University’s ‘Students Against War’ group recently occupied the University’s main lecture theatre in protest against the university’s investment in the arms trade and the war in Gaza. The students’ demands, that the university disinvest all shares from weapons companies, were met shortly after the third day of the occupation, which spanned from the 24th to the 26th of February.
At the ‘Books not Bombs’ protest, which preceded the occupation, students held up books to represent education and solidarity. The bombing of Gaza University prompted the proposal of Cardiff University to twin with an institution in Gaza. Cardiff University have agreed to discuss the provision of educational resources. Dan Drummond, a member
of the Cardiff ‘Students Against War’ campaign, said: “Our biggest focus at the moment is getting the University to provide scholarships for Gazan students, whose homes and universities have been bombed to the ground.”
Demonstrators carried a coffin with pictures showing some of the victims of the violence in Gaza. American linguist, philosopher, and political activist Noam Chomsky is believed to have sent a message of support to the participating students. Dan Drummond comments: “Cardiff Students Against War is all about inclusiveness and education; we feel that it’s our job to educate the student population on these issues, to get the message out.”
