Teachers Union of
Ireland calls for
Academic Boycott of Israel in unanimous vote; first academic union in Europe to
do so
Ireland-Palestine
Solidarity Campaign – Press Release, Thursday 4th April 2013,
2.30pm
At its Annual Congress, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland
(TUI) became the first academic union in Europe to endorse the Palestinian call
for an academic boycott of Israel. The motion, which refers to Israel as an
“apartheid state”, calls
for “all members to cease all
cultural and academic collaboration with Israel, including the exchange of
scientists, students and academic personalities, as well as all cooperation in
research programmes” was passed by a unanimous vote during today’s
morning session.
The motion
further calls on the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to “step up its campaign for
boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against the apartheid state of Israel
until it lifts its illegal siege of Gaza and its illegal occupation of the West
Bank, and agrees to abide by International law and all UN Resolutions against
it”, and on the TUI to conduct an awareness campaign amongst members on
the need for BDS. The motion was a composite motion proposed by the TUI
Executive Committee and TUI Dublin Colleges Branch. It was presented by Jim Roche, a lecturer in the DIT
School of Architecture and member of the TUI Dublin Colleges Union branch, and
seconded by Gerry Quinn, Vice President of the TUI.
Speaking after the successful
passage of the motion, Jim Roche said: “I am very pleased that this
motion was passed with such support by TUI members, especially coming the day
after Israeli occupation forces shot and killed two Palestinian teenagers in the
West Bank yesterday. BDS is a noble non-violent method of resisting Israeli
militarism, occupation and apartheid, and there is no question that Israel is
implementing apartheid policies against the Palestinians. Indeed, many veterans
of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa have said that it’s worse than
what was experienced there.”
Mr. Roche pointed to the desperate
situation of Palestinian education under occupation saying that: “Palestinians
are struggling for the right to education under extremely difficult conditions.
They are eager for it, as shown by the large numbers of students in third level
education inside and outside the occupied Palestinian territories. Education has
always been a target of the Israeli occupation, seeing forced closures of
universities, disruption under checkpoint, closure and curfew regimes, and
arrests, beatings and killing of both students and teachers. Sometimes, such as
during the 2008-09 attack on Gaza, educational institutions have been militarily
attacked. In fact I have just returned from a solidarity visit to Gaza where I
had the opportunity to hear first-hand from Palestinian educators and students
about their difficulties. The unanimous passage of this motion that shows that
the Palestinian struggle for freedom, of which academic freedom is a key part,
resonates with TUI members and sends a strong message of solidarity to their
counterparts in Palestine".
Mr. Roche concluded: “We proposed
this motion as we believe that, as with South Africa, the trade union movement
has a vital role to play in helping apply pressure to end Israeli apartheid and
occupation. I am proud that the TUI has taken a clear stand, and now support a
full academic boycott of Israel in line with the Palestinian call for BDS”.
Dr. David Landy, a member
of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign and founder member of Academics for
Palestine welcomed the motion saying: “This is an historic precedent, being the
first such motion in Europe to explicitly call for an academic boycott of
Israel. We congratulate the TUI and call on all Irish, British and European
academic unions to move similar motions. Undoubtedly apologists for Israeli
apartheid will complain that such motions stifle academic freedom, but this is
nonsense. The Palestinian call for an academic boycott of Israel is an
institutional boycott, not a boycott of individuals. Ironically, those that will
jump to complain about this motion will have no words of condemnation for the
de facto boycott imposed on Palestinian education by Israel, nor for its
continuing attacks on Palestinian education, students and
educators”.
ENDS
ENDS
The TUI Motion in full reads:
241. Executive Committee/Dublin Colleges(x4)
241. Executive Committee/Dublin Colleges(x4)
TUI demand that ICTU step up its
campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against the apartheid state
of Israel until it lifts its illegal siege of Gaza and its illegal occupation of
the West Bank, and agrees to abide by International law and all UN Resolutions
against it.
Congress instructs the Executive Committee to:
(a) Conduct an awareness campaign amongst TUI members on the need for BDS
(b) Request all members to cease all cultural and academic collaboration with Israel, including the exchange of scientists, students and academic personalities, as well as all cooperation in research programmes. (ENDS)
Congress instructs the Executive Committee to:
(a) Conduct an awareness campaign amongst TUI members on the need for BDS
(b) Request all members to cease all cultural and academic collaboration with Israel, including the exchange of scientists, students and academic personalities, as well as all cooperation in research programmes. (ENDS)
The Palestinian Call for a
Cultural and Academic Boycott of Israel can be read here: http://pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=869
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