OK I'm very drunk and at the moment can't come up with much sensible, but what do peopel think of the UK uni occupations in aid of human rights in Gaza and Palestine?
Personally I support them btu I don't know how everyone else feels?
Don't even start me. All the support the occupation nonsense. At my uni they've taken over a building, which is just disrupting everyone who needs to use it. Fair enough, they can protest if they want as long as they are not annoying everyone. They're just forcing their views on you, which is what they're usually against and protesting about.
Our Uni some students occupied a lecture hall, however they specifically stated that lectures were allowed to still take place as normal and would not be disrupted by them. And considering my universities link with arm's dealer's I think the protest was justified.
However the universities cancelled all lectures held there so disrupting people's education themselves and then got security to forcibly remove the protestors.
your university is linked to arms dealers? wow i didnt think that would be allowed? im being naive aren't i....
Well obviously they don't publicise such links. But a fair few of the major UK universities do recieve funding from arms dealers.
This website sets out who recieves what from whom and how much : http://www.studywarnomore.org.uk/
Well obviously they don't publicise such links. But a fair few of the major UK universities do recieve funding from arms dealers.
This website sets out who recieves what from whom and how much : http://www.studywarnomore.org.uk/
Ok, so my university is linked to QinetiQ (defense, security and environmental systems), BAE Systems (primary planes and such) and EPSRC (unless I'm mistaken, a research council funding body).
The university is asked to help develop technologies, what the company does with that technology is not up to the university. Things like war have produced massive technological changes that have made it into everyday life. Also, if these companies didn't fund the university to do work for them then you wouldn't have a university to go to. They are there to research, not to preach morals to large companies.
Basically, if these people have such an issue with the university then they should leave. They are quite happy to use the university's teaching facilities, libraries, heating, electricity, etc, etc, etc. Israel don't care what some university is doing, and by the university giving in to the protesters demands will only harm the university in the long run.
Israel don't care what some university is doing, and by the university giving in to the protesters demands will only harm the university in the long run.
exactly!
what are people hoping to achieve, there actions mean nothing in the grand scheme of things
I think it's a bit ridiculous. At my uni they took over a building, but they seem to leave it after not very long.
It's not like it's going to really get anyone anywhere.
As I heard someone put it "I saw them on the roof with all the banners and stuff and I thought they were getting somewhere. But then I realised that there's stairs up to the roof and anyone can get up, and I'm not so impressed anymore."
I think also, people should be able to make up their own minds, specially if theyre intelligent enough to be at uni, and so it shouldn't be shoved in our faces all the time.
Ugggh, the people at my uni have occupied one of the main buildings (not 1 room, one entire extremely historical and important building). It's driving me crazy. It's all the people from one hall who've clubbed together to take turns, and this is all because my uni buys bottled water from an Israeli company. It's utterly ridiculous, this is people just desperately looking for a cause, it's doing absolutely no good.
Also, I'm in one of the biggest classes in the uni and that's the biggest lecture hall, thus, we have no lecture hall. I've already missed a week of classes... not pleased.
Since when did disrupting peoples education become the answer?
If they wanted to make a big enough protest they could've protested, peacefully, outside parliament, I guess. If people felt strongly enough about it then I'm sure they'd make the trip, and then if there were enough they oculd've maybe ahd news coverage. Who knows?
But what they're doing just seems like a pointless idea.
These current occupations are nothing, if you were to go back 10-20 years ago they were relatively common place especially in the transition years between John Major's conservative government and Tony Blair's Nu Labour takeover.
It's just that students these days have forgotten what it is to be radical and what the student movement used to stand for. Besides the occupations have been surprisingly successful several universities have pledged to increase ties with Gaza educational bodies whilst at the same time vocalising condemnation of the war which is what the protesters wanted. So yeah... I guess they got what they wanted in the end.
Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money.
They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with.
Some men just want to watch the world burn.
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