NEW YORK: A coalition of students at Brown University in Rhode Island has initiated a hunger strike, urging the university to divest from companies profiting from the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The group, consisting of 19 students, including Palestinians, Jews, and others, is committed to the hunger strike until the university takes action to promote an immediate and lasting ceasefire.
Their demand is for the introduction of a divestment resolution at the upcoming meeting of the Corporation of Brown University, the institution’s highest governing body, scheduled for Feb 8th and 9th, 2024.
The students stressed the urgency of passing a divestment resolution in light of the escalating violence in Gaza. The hunger strike is organised by the Palestine Solidarity Caucus and the Jews for Ceasefire Now, aiming to align the resolution with recommendations from a 2020 report by the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Practices (ACCRIP).
The report called for divestment from companies implicated in the occupation of Palestine, including AB Volvo, Airbus, Boeing, DXC, General Dynamics, General Electric, Motorola, Northrop Grumman, Oaktree Capital, Raytheon, and United Technologies.
The students are advocating for the university to follow the ACCRIP report’s guidelines and divest from these identified companies.
Brown University, an Ivy League institution, has faced protests from students since the beginning of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on Oct 7, following a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
Students have accused the university of having investments in weapons manufacturers. Despite these claims, Brown University has declined to divest, asserting that it does not directly invest in such manufacturers.
The ongoing hunger strike is part of students’ efforts to pressure the university to divest from Israel, as they believe Brown’s stance implicates the institution in causing harm to others. AFP
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