By Abbey Wheeler
In a rare Special General Meeting of the UWA Guild, students have voted to stand in solidarity with Palestine and demand the University cut all ties with Israeli institutions.
The meeting held on Wednesday afternoon was called in response to a petition from Students for Palestine and Socialist Alternative, and saw approximately 270 people attending the Wilsmore Lecture Theatre and an online live stream.
According to the Guild Regulations, Special General Meetings may be called in response to a request from more than 50 ordinary Guild members.
These meetings are designed to allow students to put forward motions which are then discussed and voted on by the student body.
The following motions were passed by those in attendance:
- The UWA Student Guild calls for an immediate and just end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. This means an immediate halt of the bombing, a permanent withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, an end to the 18-year long blockade, and reparations to be paid for the reconstruction of Gaza.
- The UWA Student Guild supports the call for a Free Palestine. This means equal rights for all people from the Jordanian River to the Mediterranean Sea, as well as reparations and the right to return for all Palestinians expelled from their historic land since 1948.
- The UWA Student Guild demands that UWA cut ties all ties with weapons companies, including but not limited to L3Harris.
- The UWA Student Guild demands that UWA cut all ties with institutions of apartheid Israel, including but not limited to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
- The UWA Student Guild expresses no confidence in our incoming Chancellor, Diane Smith-Gander, for her personal links to apartheid Israel and her opposition to the anti-genocide Palestine solidarity movement.
An additional motion, put forward without notice, was also passed to condemn Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and war in the Middle East. This article will be updated with the full motion once available.
Both supporters and opponents of the motions were permitted to speak before a vote was held.
Palestinian supporters expressed their anger at the University holding research partnerships with weapons manufacturers supporting the genocide in Gaza, as well as UWA Chancellor Diane Smith-Gander’s outspoken support of Israel.
Opponents argued the motions should also address Israeli casualties and hostages.
A number of students also expressed frustration that the meeting had been scheduled on the same day as Rosh Hashanah (a Jewish religious holiday), preventing some Jewish students from attending.
Pelican understands that the date of the meeting was requested specifically by the petitioners, who had also started advertising the meeting date prior to the tabling of their petition to the Guild’s executives. Pelican understands that upon being made aware of the significance of the date, the Guild consulted with the Australian Union of Jewish Students, and a live stream was established to allow more Jewish students to attend.
It has also been noted that this was one of the only dates an appropriately sized room was available.
Whilst most speakers attempted to remain respectful, at times the conduct of the room diverged into shouting and throwing insults, with the Chair having to remind the room on numerous occasions that “speakers will be heard in silence.”
Unfortunately for supporters of the motions, the vote does not hold any power in the decision making of the University, who are managed separately to the Guild.
It is also worth noting that while this Special General Meeting certainly generated a lot of public attention on campus, the motions do not reflect a change in the political position of the Guild Council, which passed motions in May earlier this year urging the University to divest from weapons manufacturers and condemning the Israeli attacks on Rafah. You can view the full minutes of the Special Council Meeting in May here.