Last week, students from Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland scored a victory for the BDS movement when they occupied the main administration building overnight. Activists forced the university to agree to several of their demands, including a boycott of Eden Springs.
The occupation began after a rally for Gaza, when students entered the McCance building and refused to leave, despite heavy-handed attempts by security to remove them from the premises. The students were able to remain in the building overnight, and they presented a list of demands to university authorities.
Following the occupation and another rally the next day, the university agreed to provide scholarships for students from Gaza, post the DEC appeal on the official website as well as across the campus, and issue a press release reiterating Strathclyde Universityâs longstanding relationship with the Islamic University of Gaza. Additionally, the university administration agreed that they will no longer place any further orders with Eden Springs.
This is a major success for the student protestors, especially in relation to Eden Springs, which has been the target of an ongoing campaign initiated by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Eden Springs is an Israeli corporation operating in the Golan Heights, selling water obtained from resources in the occupied land.
This latest action is part of a wave of Palestine solidarity and BDS activities that have been sweeping across the UK, particularly on university and college campuses. It is vital that the momentum be sustained, and that mobilization continues to build pressure to end the occupation of Palestine.
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