We, the students of Aotearoa, join students across the world in protesting the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. On Thursday, 23 May 2024, we are organising a nationwide protest to demand the following from all universities in Aotearoa:

• Declare and recognise Palestine as an independent and sovereign state;
• Disclose and divest all partnerships with Israel; and
• Denounce anti-semitism, Islamophobia and all forms of discrimination.

Students will be protesting at the following campuses at 12 pm:

• AUT and University of Auckland at AUT Hikuwai Plaza;
• Waikato University outside the Pā Building;
• Victoria University of Wellington at the Tim Beaglehole courtyard;
• University of Canterbury at the C Block Lawn;
• Otago University at the Union Lawn; and
• Massey University at the Concourse, Manawatū.

This nationwide protest expresses our unapologetic solidarity with Palestinians and our commitment to the Palestinian struggle for liberation. We refuse to be silent or complicit in genocide, and we reject all forms of cooperation between our institutions and the Israeli state.

We call on our universities to take all steps to meet our demands and to abide by the guidelines of the movement for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. The universities of Aotearoa must recognize these acts for what they are: a gross violation of human rights and an affront to the very essence of humanity. We call upon all students and members of staff to join us in the global movement of solidarity with Palestine.

© Scoop Media