University of Wollongong (UOW) management sent the Palestine solidarity encampment an official direction to pack up by 5pm on September 26.
UOW claimed the encampment was in breach of the Campus Access and Order Rules policy, which had been updated just weeks before to specifically prohibit camping on campus.
This is similar to the updated Campus Access Policy at the University of Sydney (USyd), which was strongly opposed by students and staff.
However, while USyd informed staff and students about the updated policy in an email, UOW did not inform students or staff about the changes. They only found out about the updated policy when it was quoted in the direction to shut down the encampment.
The UOW encampment, established by the UOW Palestinian Liberation Zone (UPLZ) collective, was the last remaining Palestine solidarity encampment in the country.
The first student encampments in Australia were set up at USyd and the University of Melbourne in April, inspired by encampments in the United States, and quickly spread to about 15 university campuses across the country.
An encampment was initially established by the UOW Palestine Society in May, but it shut down after a few weeks.
UPLZ established the second encampment on June 12 to continue pressuring the university to disclose and divest from weapons companies and Israeli institutions.
This was followed by a successful student general meeting on September 4, at which students overwhelmingly voted in favour of disclosure and divestment of the university’s ties with Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
UOW has close connections to the defence industry and Israel, with deeply entrenched military research collaborations.
UOW has research collaborations with Bissaloy Steel, Israel’s largest export partner in 2017. Bisalloy announced a $900,000 contract with Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in 2018, providing steel for armoured vehicles.
UOW also had connections to weapons manufacturers including Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Thales and others.
Despite the student vote and protests, UOW has not committed to disclosure or divestment. It has refused to even condemn racism and Islamophobia on campus.
University management has refused to acknowledge that UOW is complicit in genocide, and is now attempting to squash student solidarity with Palestine.
[Sign the petition for the University of Wollongong to cut ties with Israel. Find out more here.]