The main request by the student coalition is the implementation of a divestment resolution by the Brown University
At Brown University in Rhode Island, a coalition of students has gone on an indefinite hunger strike in protest of “Israel’s” genocide in Gaza, calling on the university to cut ties with all companies profiting from the ongoing genocide.
On Friday afternoon, the group released a statement stressing that they would keep up their hunger strike until the university did its part to promote an “immediate and permanent” ceasefire, also demanding that the university implement a divestment resolution at the next meeting of its governing body on February 8 and 9.
“Given the escalating violence in Gaza, this hunger strike emphasizes the urgency of passing a divestment resolution in this meeting rather than delaying the process any further,” the students stated.
Brown University accused of investment in Israeli arms manufacturing
A report released in 2020 by the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Practices(ACCRIP) is the basis for the student coalition’s request regarding resolution. They are urging the university to use the report that called for divestment from companies involved in the Israeli occupation of Palestine as a reference in creating its resolution.
AB Volvo, Airbus, Boeing, DXC, General Dynamics, General Electric, and Motorola were among the companies that the ACCRIP’s report had identified for divestment.
A Palestinian participant in the hunger strike, Nour Abaherah stated “As a Palestinian, I have witnessed colossal losses in Gaza, the West Bank, and around the world; the ongoing impact of this humanitarian crisis has fueled my commitment to justice.”
“My family history, intertwined with the struggles of my people and occupied people everywhere, motivates me to stand against the investment and profiting of arms and weapons manufacturing and occupation that perpetuates violence in our world,” she added.
The student coalition emphasized that support for divestment “as a material way of supporting a permanent ceasefire and lasting peace in Gaza” was growing on the campus.
The students, who also plan to launch a host of programs including teach-ins, performances, and prayers, added, “This strike is the student body’s response to Brown’s continued inaction in the face of the mounting crisis in Gaza.”
Source: AlMayadeen
