UVic: Divest from Companies Supplying Weapons to Israel
UVic: Divest from Companies Supplying Weapons to Israel
The Issue
The University of Victoria currently has an estimated $150,379,067 invested in companies that supply weaponry and weapons components to Israel, which are being used right now, directly in the indiscriminant killing of Palestinians.
These companies include Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, Dassault Systems, Elbit, and Rafael Defence. There have been at least 36, 318 people killed in Palestine since October 7th. More than 15,000 of these are children. These numbers reflect only those who have been officially counted, and not those still under rubble, or who will die from untreated wounds, illnesses, birth trauma, or starvation. We cannot allow this to continue.
We, the undersigned, refuse to have our dollars invested in such death and destruction. It is imperative that UVic divests from these companies, and creates a policy of ethical investment immediately.
It does not make good sense for an educational institution, which purports to prepare, support, and empower young people for their work in this "brighter, shared future for ourselves, our communities, and our world,"* to invest in dealing death and injustice to oppressed and occupied populations. If UVic is serious about its Strategic Plan being "a call to live in right relationship, to exist sustainably and equitably, and to use our experience and creativity to spark positive change,"* then it MUST divest from these industries.
Today, the International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to enact an immediate ceasefire. Since this order we have seen an escalation in the violence and brutality the Israeli Army wages indiscriminantly against Palestinians, including worsening attacks on the West Bank.
We can not allow our institutions to be complicit and aid and abet these atrocious crimes. We refuse to be complicit in this injustice. We stand in full awareness of the damages done not only to Palestinians and other occupied people internationally, but to our collective future on this planet. We must act now to generate systemic change, to create the more peaceful, equitable, and just future we all hope to live into.
*Direct quotes from UVic's Strategic Plan https://www.uvic.ca/strategic-plan/index.php
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The Issue
The University of Victoria currently has an estimated $150,379,067 invested in companies that supply weaponry and weapons components to Israel, which are being used right now, directly in the indiscriminant killing of Palestinians.
These companies include Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, Dassault Systems, Elbit, and Rafael Defence. There have been at least 36, 318 people killed in Palestine since October 7th. More than 15,000 of these are children. These numbers reflect only those who have been officially counted, and not those still under rubble, or who will die from untreated wounds, illnesses, birth trauma, or starvation. We cannot allow this to continue.
We, the undersigned, refuse to have our dollars invested in such death and destruction. It is imperative that UVic divests from these companies, and creates a policy of ethical investment immediately.
It does not make good sense for an educational institution, which purports to prepare, support, and empower young people for their work in this "brighter, shared future for ourselves, our communities, and our world,"* to invest in dealing death and injustice to oppressed and occupied populations. If UVic is serious about its Strategic Plan being "a call to live in right relationship, to exist sustainably and equitably, and to use our experience and creativity to spark positive change,"* then it MUST divest from these industries.
Today, the International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to enact an immediate ceasefire. Since this order we have seen an escalation in the violence and brutality the Israeli Army wages indiscriminantly against Palestinians, including worsening attacks on the West Bank.
We can not allow our institutions to be complicit and aid and abet these atrocious crimes. We refuse to be complicit in this injustice. We stand in full awareness of the damages done not only to Palestinians and other occupied people internationally, but to our collective future on this planet. We must act now to generate systemic change, to create the more peaceful, equitable, and just future we all hope to live into.
*Direct quotes from UVic's Strategic Plan https://www.uvic.ca/strategic-plan/index.php
238
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on May 24, 2024