US student coalition at Brown University launches 'hunger strike for Palestine'
A coalition of students at Brown University in Rhode Island has gone on an indefinite hunger strike in protest at Israel’s war on Gaza, calling on the university to divest from companies profiting from the ongoing aggression.
The group said in a statement on Friday afternoon that they would keep up their hunger strike until the university did its part to promote an “immediate and permanent” ceasefire.
It demanded the university introduce a divestment resolution at the next meeting of its governing body, which is scheduled to be held 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 said in the statement.
The organizers of the hunger strike said they want the resolution to follow the recommendations of a report released in 2020 by the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Practices (ACCRIP) that called for divestment from companies involved in the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
AB Volvo, Airbus, Boeing, DXC, General Dynamics, General Electric and Motorola were among the companies that the ACCRIP’s report had identified for divestment.
"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,” said Nour Abaherah, a Palestinian participant in the hunger strike.
“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.
Accused by students of holding investments in arms manufacturers, Brown University has been a hub of protests since Israel started its incessant bombardment campaign against the besieged Gaza Strip in early October.
The student coalition stressed that support for divestment "as a material way of supporting a permanent ceasefire and lasting peace in Gaza" was growing on the campus.
"This strike is the student body’s response to Brown’s continued inaction in the face of the mounting crisis in Gaza," the students said in their statement, adding that the move will be accompanied by a host of programs, including teach-ins, performances, and prayers.
UN experts have described Israel’s war on Gaza as the deadliest, most dangerous conflict for journalists in recent history.
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