2024-05-23
The Victorian Greens have commended brave University of Melbourne student protesters who have reportedly secured a key win in their weapons divestment campaign.
Pro-Palestinian protesters announced that the University of Melbourne will fully disclose its ties to weapons manufacturers following months of rallies, petitions, meetings and an encampment at the University, and as a result students will pack up their encampment while continuing to push for full divestment.
Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell MP, said that peaceful protests such as these change the course of history.
She said that the actions of these students have directly led to greater transparency around Melbourne Uni’s ties to Israeli weapons manufacturers and will help ramp up the pressure for those ties to be severed.
It’s important that the university must make good on their disclosure promise, and ensure no-one is punished for their peaceful protest.
The Greens continue to call for Labor to rip up its secret MoU with the Israeli Ministry of Defence and sever all ties with Israeli weapons manufacturers, which are currently receiving taxpayer funds and support from the State Labor Government.
The Greens will continue to stand with the staff and students calling for an end to the invasion of Gaza and a free Palestine.
Quotes attributable to Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell MP:
”Peaceful protest changes the course of history.
“These students have achieved an important outcome, by protesting and setting up an encampment, it looks like the University will now disclose their relationships with weapons manufacturers who are contributing to the devastation in Gaza.
“This would not have happened without brave students peacefully standing up and demanding their institutions sever ties with these weapons manufacturers.”
“It was student protesters who changed the course of the Vietnam War, and helped put international pressure on South Africa to end apartheid. Now student protests are standing up and saying ‘no’ to the atrocities in Palestine, and they’re helping to change the course of history.”
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