On the 24th of September 2024, the University of Wollongong’s (UOW) non-hierarchical grassroots collective organisation, Palestinian Liberation Zone (UPLZ), held an encampment protest on campus. This encampment was called by UPLZ to end UOW’s alleged relations with partnered research within military defence industries that have alleged connection with Israel’s Defence Forces.
On the 26th of September, members of UPLZ stated within an Instagram post that they were emailed by UOW security and were asked “remove their tents and all belongings by the 26th of September at 5pm”. Their encampment supposedly was in breach of meeting UOW’s updated ‘Campus Access and Order policy’. However, questions remain and hurt still resides in the purpose and intent of the UOW’s administration behind their request to shut down the encampment.
QUESTIONS STILL REMAIN AND UOW REMAIN SILENT
Kate Simpson, a member of the UPLZ stated that “the UPLZ camp had been standing since the 12th of June 2024” and said that at the time of the direction the UPLZ had been meeting with UOW administration attempting to negotiate their demands. Simpson explained that “UPLZ’s last meeting with UOW administration was on the 26th of September when the encampment was shut down. Within this meeting, UOW representatives declined to provide any legitimate reasoning for this direction.”
According to Simpson, the alleged updated UOWs policies were “specifically targeted to prohibit camping on UOW campuses,” and therefore alleges they were implemented to “remove UPLZ encampment and squash students’ rights to protest.”
Simpson describes these efforts made by the UOW administration within their policy changes “were unknown until UOW quoted the changed policy in the direction to remove the encampment.” Simpson alleges further that “when asked to provide details on a UOW proposed ‘policy review process’, they declined to provide any information, gave absolutely nothing to students, and conceded nothing to their demands”.
The frustration of this encampment removal became further validated within letters sent by both the Human Rights Law Centre and the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, to UOWs’ Vice Chancellor John Dewar. These letters as Simpson states have allegedly “condemned the banning of the student encampment” and highlight the Universities’ overall right and “obligation to protect student protests” when they occur.
Picture of encampment at sunrise before the shutdown, Taken by Kate Simpson, UPLZ 2024.
Since September, Simpson states that neither the UOW’s administration, nor the Vice Chancellor John Dewar himself, has responded to these letters sent. She also states that neither party have reached out to Simpson or the UPLZ society to further explain the updated policy changes or the refused encampment.
Simpson states that these efforts by the UOW administration are deemed as “utterly deplorable” by UPLZ society members. She said that, “this direction was a clear sign that UOW does not care for its students, nor listen to them or value their voices”.
UPLZ MOTIVATION AND EVIDENCE OF UOW TIES WITHIN MILITARY RESEARCH
The direction for this encampment followed a vote at a student general meeting held on the 4th of September that was in favour of the disclosure and divestment with UOW’s alleged connections to military partners of Israel. This meeting, according to an article posted by UOW’s publication ‘The Tert,’ stated that:
“It held around 150 students and not one student spoke or voted against the motion for the University of Wollongong to disclose, divest and cut all ties with Israel”.
UPLZ call to attend the 4th of September General Meeting.
Taken by @uowpalestinianliberationzone Instagram August 2024
The UPLZ highlights UOW’s ties within military research and collaborations within their Instagram profile. This post alleges partnerships that have allegedly been in connection with Israel’s military defence.
More specifically, UPLZ highlights UOW being a “founding member of the Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC)” which, according to their site, “is a national collaborative research centre partnership of defence industries and research providers which is supported by the Department of Defence”.
Within this research, and the 2022 Steel Research Hub collaboration, UOW has partnered with companies such as Bisalloy Steel who in 2018 announced a $900,000 contract with Israel’s based Rafael Advanced Defence Systems in the making of Israel’s Armoured Fighting Vehicles.
Furthermore, UPLZ also highlight UOW’s DMTC partnership with the company Thales, who have had controversy surrounding their alleged partnerships with Israel’s Elbit Systems. According to a Green Left Article, this alleged partnership involves a “subsidiary company UAV Tactical Systems (U-TacS) which conducts making drones” that have supposedly “been used for surveillance and attacks in the Occupied Palestinian Territories”.
Moreover, UPLZ also highlights the controversy around UOW’s partnerships with BAE systems within their military research, which is stated also within Government documentation. BAE systems have recently been condemned by the United Nations within their partnerships of bearing arms within Israel’s military defence in Gaza.
Since this meeting and removed encampment, UOW’s Publication The Tert, explained within an email statement that:
“There have been no student general meetings since about the encampment” and they further validate that “student concerns about UOW’s ties to Bisalloy and other connections to Israel remain unaddressed by UOW’s University Management.”
Despite these unanswered actions, Simpson explains that “UPLZ members and other student groups have been continuously discussing how to continue their campaign” and remain consistent within their fight for awareness and change.
UOW’s Media Team was able to give a statement about their view of the refused encampment. They stated that, ‘the University of Wollongong upholds the principles of academic freedom and free speech and encourages open expression within their UOW students.”
They continue by saying that “since May, there has been some protest activity on campus including two separate encampments. The University has kept open lines of respectful communication with protestors, impacted student groups and other relevant stakeholders.”
“The University welcomes the opportunity to engage in open expression and debate, but not at the expense of safety, respect and inclusion for all students, staff and visitors.”
UPLZ Screen Printing Workshop, Taken by @uowpalestinianliberationzone Instagram July 2024
UOW STUDENTS STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH WSU STUDENTS
These events have followed Western Sydney University’s own protests shut down and the arrest of two Western students on the 9th of October on Parramatta South Campus. The student-led organisation WSU4Palestine, who were the organisers of this protest, have also condemned on their social media sites Western Sydney University’s partnerships with Thales and BAE Systems within Western’s International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems (ICNS).
This has been further stated within WSUP4Palestine’s Open Letter to Western University embedded within their social media profile that “calls on WSU to adopt a policy that proscribes relationships with all weapons technology companies that power the genocide in Palestine, whether directly or indirectly.”
WSU4Palestine have continued to condemn the arrests of the two Western students, showing solidarity on their Instagram account through recent protests at Burwood Court.
Simpson and the UPLZ society state their solidarity with WSU4Palestine and reminds Western students of their resilience and power in continuing the fight for awareness and humanity.
“At the closure of our encampment and the ignorance of our university, we have come to acknowledge that this will be a drawn-out struggle… However, students are resilient, and we can be equally as stubborn; we will not relent until demands are met.”
She continues, stating: “We stand in solidarity with students and staff at Western Sydney University. We are disgusted by the violence of police and the arrest of two students protesting genocide. We stand with you in your fight. Though we are separated by distance, and struggle against different, though equally morally corrupt institutions, we are with you in every action you take… As Martin Luther King said, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.’
She concluded by stating the importance of student protests and the power of student voice and accountability:
“Remember that universities rely on us students, and they rely on a certain docility from us to function as they do. We are breaking that docility down, day by day; they must listen to us, and we will continue to struggle against them until they do. Free Palestine.’’
