On Monday 13 May, 2024, students from Sussex University established an encampment to protest against the University’s ties to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. Since October 2023, Israel’s genocide in Gaza has resulted in a reported death toll exceeding 40,000 Palestinians. Gaza’s educational infrastructure has been devastated, with nearly all universities destroyed and the majority of schools impacted. Additionally, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 5000 students, 260 teachers, and more than 94 university professors.
Within this context, our students unite with peers from various universities in Britain and globally to demand recognition and condemnation of this scholasticide. They call for an immediate ceasefire, divestment from Israel’s war and apartheid regime, cessation of institutional collaborations with entities complicit in violations of international law, and allocation of resources to rebuild Gaza’s educational institutions.
As a union branch representing academic, academic-related, administrative, and professional services staff, as well as postgraduate researchers at the University of Sussex, we affirm the alignment of student demands with our union’s local and national policies. Motions have been passed on this matter at our branch meetings, and hundreds of members have individually endorsed open letters urging action from the university.
We fully endorse the national UCU statement in solidarity with student encampments. The University of Sussex must safeguard students’ rights to assembly and expression. We categorically reject all forms of racism and discrimination, including antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian racism, basing our calls for boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel on these principles.
The University’s ties with companies aiding Israel’s military actions, alongside its opaque investment practices, is incompatible with its mission. Therefore, we stand in support of students demanding transparency, divestment and accountability regarding the university’s financial investments.
We call on the University of Sussex to promptly act on staff and students’ demands to cease investments and collaborations that support Israeli military actions and violations of international law.
Solidarity is extended to colleagues and students globally involved in Palestine solidarity encampments. We denounce the actions of universities in the USA that have utilised militarised police to restrict student protest. It is imperative that faculty, staff, and students are included in university governance and decision-making processes and that peaceful protest remain unrestricted.
We urgently request the University of Sussex to engage with members of the Solidarity Encampment to address their demands.
Sussex UCU Executive Committee
We encourage all members to sign the staff letter written by members of the Sussex community in support of our students’ courageous stance.
Sussex UCU, Brighton, UK 
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