Ceasefire NOW!

We are very concerned by the sharp rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia across the UK and beyond since October. We restate our unwavering opposition to all forms of antisemitism and Islamophobia - hate has no place on our campuses or in our society.

• UCU statement in support of campus Palestine protests
• UCU statement on student occupations:

UCU stands with our students currently protesting against the war in Gaza and occupying university campuses in Leeds, Nottingham, Bristol, at Goldsmiths and elsewhere. The conflict has already claimed the lives of over 30,000 Palestinians with thousands more injured or missing. The protestors are right to question our universities' complicity with what the International Court of Justice recently ruled as a potential genocide and to call on educational institutions to make a clear commitment to end partnerships with the Israel state. UCU continues to call for the release of all hostages, an immediate ceasefire, and an end to the occupation.

• DONATE - MAP Gaza Emergency Appeal: Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) works for the health and dignity of Palestinians living under occupation and as refugees. They provide immediate medical aid to those in great need, while also developing local capacity and skills to ensure the long-term development of the Palestinian healthcare system, and are currently working to procure and deliver urgently needed medical aid and shelter supplies in Gaza. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs cites that hospitals in Gaza are under heavy strikes, and there are critical shortages of medicines and supplies. The TUC's General Council is calling on all affiliates to support the MAP Gaza Emergency Appeal: Please make an urgent donation directly to MAP here
• #BoycottBarclays
  The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) are asking people to take urgent action and support their campaign to boycott Barclays Bank. You will be aware of the urgent call by more than thirty Palestinian trade unions for unions around the world to - among other things - take action against companies involved in implementing Israel's illegal siege and genocidal assault on Gaza, and to pressure companies deeply complicit in the military trade with Israel. On 17 January PSC activists organised a sit-in in a Barclays bank in central London, to mark the launch of their campaign which is asking everyone to stop banking with Barclays. We are now asking trade unions (branches, regions, sectors, etc) to pledge not to use the services of Barclays bank and request that your members do so too as individuals:
  • Sign the Boycott Barclays pledge
  • Pass a motion in your union branch/region/committee: Boycott Barclays - model motion [26kb]
  • Barclays customers are now asked to close their accounts.

Work to support Palestinian education

As an education union, UCU is particularly concerned about the devastating impact of Israel's war on Palestinian education.

• Unified Emergency Statement by Palestinian Academics and Administrators of Gaza Universities - the Emergency Committee for Universities in Gaza has been established to respond to the urgent call from Gaza academics to coordinate international assistance in order to reopen universities in Gaza at the earliest date. Al Aqsa University, Al Azhar University and the Islamic University of Gaza have come together to articulate their urgent priorities and the Emergency Committee calls upon the support of international universities and institutions.
• Friends of Birzeit University (Fobzu) supports the right to education and its role in the creation of a free and flourishing Palestine. One way Fobzu supports access to education for young Palestinians is by providing scholarships to students in financial need. Not only do scholarships provide vital assistance for young people facing hardship, they are also an important source of hope to a generation growing up under occupation. You can donate to Fobzu here.
• Scholars for Palestine UK  - a Higher Education Coalition for Palestine in the UK and beyond.
• University and College Workers for Palestine  - a network of union reps and activists on campuses and in colleges across the UK who are united in building solidarity for Palestine and against wider war.
• The General Union of Palestinian Teachers (GUPT) has published a powerful video entitled the 'Education sector under Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip'
  
• Our global union federation - Education International (EI) has been mobilising financial support for Palestinian education unions, including the Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees (PFUUPE). The Teachers Empowerment Initiative, which began in January, provides social-emotional support for teachers and students in the West Bank, along with direct support for teachers in Gaza and the West Bank. Click here for the latest update. 

Branch asks

• Write to the management at your institution demanding that they speak out against the 'scholasticide' being committed in Gaza, support the urgent reconstruction and long-term rebuilding of Palestinian education, and ensure that none of their partnerships, funding arrangements and investments, involve institutions and corporations that are aiding and abetting Israel's 'plausibly genocidal acts' in Gaza.
  
  You may wish to use the letter [175kb] which was sent by UCU general secretary Jo Grady to UUK chief executive Vivienne Stern for inspiration.

• Write to USS (if in the scheme)
  
  If your branch is at an institution in the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) then write to Dame Kate Barker, Chair of the Trustee Board to demand an immediate meeting of the Board of Trustees to consider its position on Israeli investments and those companies that have been found to be complicit in Israel's 'plausibly genocidal acts' in Gaza.
  
  We have written a template letter [15kb] to assist with this.
   
• The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) is the biggest organisation in the UK dedicated to securing Palestinian human rights. Nationally, UCU is affiliated to PSC.

Academic freedom and free speech

UCU is aware that some of our members have been targeted for speaking out about the events in Israel and Palestine, and that this targeting has unfortunately often been racialised. UCU has clear policy in defence of academic freedom; if you have been targeted in this way please contact your local rep or regional office for support.

Events

We call on all regions, branches and members to continue to attend national and regional protests organised by Stop the War Coalition, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, fellow trade unions and others.

Migrant members and demos

We recognise that participation in protests can present additional risks and anxieties for migrant members, due to the government's hostile environment and the authoritarian crackdowns on protest. The Joint Council for the Welfare of Migrants (JCWI) has produced some useful guidance on the rights of migrants involved in protests which can be found on X/Twitter.

Workplace Day of Action: Thursday 28 November

On 28 November, join us and take action to call for an end to government and corporate complicity in Israel's atrocities, and mobilise for the December national demonstration in London calling for a ceasefire. 

Discuss with your colleagues in your branch about what kind of action is best suited to your workplace and its circumstances. Take action in your workplace: 

• organise a lunch-time walk-out in solidarity with Palestinians. Gather outside your workplace for a photo
• circulate a petition calling for the divestment of pension fund holdings from companies complicit in Israel's attacks, such as arms companies supplying Israel with the weapons it uses in its attacks
• organise a letter writing session for your members to write to their local councillors to call on them to divest LGPS funds administered by the council in companies enabling Israel's war crimes
• organise a lunch-time meeting, teach-in or film screening to educate colleagues about the Palestinian struggle for freedom
• distribute leaflets for the national demonstration in December in London.

Are there limits to what UCU can do?

UCU's longstanding policy has been support for BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) 'within the constraints of the existing law'. UCU has taken the advice of a senior barrister (Kings Counsel) on what can and cannot be actioned by union as an organisation. While UCU cannot and should not call for an academic boycott as such a call would be unlawful - outside of the union's powers, and aims and objects - this page sets out a full range of suggested actions and further information for all those members who wish to support the call for an immediate Ceasefire.

Resources

				Ceasefire Now - poster [305kb]
		Stop the escalation poster [409kb]
		Unions for Ceasefire poster [409kb]
		Ceasefire Now poster 2 [409kb]
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