RESOLUTION TO DIVEST UNIVERSITY

FUNDS FROM APARTHEID

What is Apartheid?

Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid New

York, 30 November 1973

→ The Apartheid Convention, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1973,

declares that apartheid is a crime against humanity and that “inhuman acts

resulting from the policies and practices of apartheid and similar policies and

practices of racial segregation and discrimination” are international crimes (art.

1). Article 2 defines the crime of apartheid –“which shall include similar policies

and practices of racial segregation and discrimination as practised in southern

Africa” – as covering “inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and

maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial

group of persons and systematically oppressing them.”

Archbishop Desmond Tutu: “If I were to change the names, a description of what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank could describe events in South Africa.”

2007: In a report to the UN General Assembly, United Nations Special Rapporteur for Palestine John

Dugard stated that "elements of the [state of Israel's] occupation constitute forms of colonialism and of

apartheid, which are contrary to international law." and suggested that the "legal consequences of a

prolonged occupation with features of colonialism and apartheid" be put to the International Court of

Justice.

2009: South Africa's statutory research agency, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC),

published a legal study finding that, "the State of Israel exercises control in the [Occupied Palestinian

Territories] with the purpose of maintaining a system of domination by Jews over Palestinians and that

this system constitutes a breach of the prohibition of apartheid."

2010: Richard Falk, the next UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine concludes during General Assembly

that this "general structure of apartheid that exists in the Occupied Palestinian Territories ... makes the

allegation increasingly credible despite the differences between the specific characteristics of South

African apartheid and that of the Occupied Palestinian Territories regime"

So What Is BDS?

Resolution

Discussion of University assets and history of non-divestment, lack of

transparency

Socially responsible investment committee

Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights and international law

Discussion of specific companies

False accusations of antisemitism

What our campaign + BDS, is about: human rights and justice for Palestinians!

If someone reacts to a movement about fighting oppression/ achieving liberation by doing something

antisemitic, there is a 99% chance they were a hateful [expletive] to begin with

Palestinians should not be denied justice, peace, and fundamental human rights and safety because

other random people decide to be hateful

Criticizing Israel is not antisemitic. Ex: Iran and Saudi Arabia both claim to be Muslim states. It is fine

and not inherently Islamophobic to criticize these countries. You also can criticize them in

Islamophobic ways, which is very wrong, but, again, does not invalidate the non-Islamophobic

criticisms other people make.

Exploiting fear of marginalized people to justify oppression of different group of marginalized people =

wrong

THANK YOU