- by Adelaide CPA Comrade
- The Guardian
- Issue #2161
Rally in support of Palestine, Perth/ Boorloo.
Student encampments might be a thing of the past, but students nationwide are still speaking up against genocide.
On Wednesday 27 August, Students from the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, and Flinders University gathered in the University of Adelaide’s North Terrace campus to protest Australian government and university complicity in Israel’s genocide in Palestine. The event was part of a nationwide student referendum organised by the National Union for Students and Students for Palestine.
Australia is not just a bystander in Israel’s genocide, it could not happen without the ongoing material support of the Australian government. The current Labor government is closely tied to weapons manufacturers and provides a crucial component of the F-35 fighter jets that Israel kills innocent Gazan civilians with. The component in question is the uplock actuator system, which is used for quick release of the bombs, and is only manufactured in Australia. Contrary to what Penny Wong says, these components are extremely lethal. These components are part of the supply chain for the American and Israeli military industrial complex. This includes multinational corporations such as Lockheed Martin (American), Boeing (American), BAE Systems (British), and Elbit Systems (Israeli).
These companies aid US imperialism and Israel’s genocide. They are also extremely prevalent in the STEM faculties of Australian university campuses. The presence of weapons companies in Australian education provides a funnel for our national intelligentsia to aid US imperialism directly.
The motions of the referendum are as follows: 1. Students censure the Australian government for its complicity in the genocide in Gaza. We demand an end to all weapons sales to Israel by Australia and Australian companies, and call for sanctions on Israel. 2. Students call on all Australian universities to end their complicity with Israel’s genocide by ceasing all partnerships with weapons companies.
Genocides are not ended through a change of heart in the perpetrators; they are ended when the perpetrators are stopped in their tracks by outside pressure and do not have the means to continue killing. Should the demands of the referendum be met by the Labor government, it would hinder Israel’s material ability to kill Palestinians. The referendum was attended by hundreds of people from all three major South Australian universities, as well as some high school and TAFE students. Every single person in the room voted in favour of the motions.
After the event, there was a march in support of Palestine. There were many similar referendums happening in university campuses all across the country. The nationwide results of the referendum are unknown at the time of writing, but if the Adelaide results are anything to go by, will most likely be in favour of both motions. The Australian government is at a crossroads; continue business as usual by undemocratically funding imperialism and genocide, or listen to the demands of the Australian people and end all ties with the illegitimate Zionist state.
