By Adam Johannes, Cardiff People’s Assembly (Photo credit Jonny Jones)
There have been student sit-ins supporting the strike at universities including Bristol, Leicester, Bath, Exeter, UCL, Sussex, Southampton, Liverpool and Reading. Cardiff University is also affected by the strike, but it doesn’t have a reputation for student activism and students haven’t occupied – yet. But in recent years there have been two student occupations at Cardiff University.
In February 2009, South Wales Echo carried a headline: “Power of Student Action forces university to divest its holdings in major arms companies”. The article decribed a three day occupation at Cardiff University. Israel had recently bombed Gaza. Students said the university should not support arms companies supplying militaries bombing Palestinian universities.
How did the occupation come about? Throughout December 2008 and January 2009 as Israel bombed Gaza there had been sizeable protests in the city organised by Cardiff Stop the War. There had been a 100,000 strong national protest in London, and at more political campuses there had already been student occupations.
In early February, Cardiff Stop the War hosted a 1000 strong public meeting in the Student Union addressed by former Guantanamo Bay detainees and guards, a student also spoke describing action taking place elsewhere and anyone interested in getting some similar action going in Cardiff to speak to him at the end.
Meanwhile, a coalition of groups headed by Cardiff People and Planet had a longstanding campaign lobbying University Management to divest from arms companies. There was frustration that the university was simply brushing aside the campaign. The group had already planned a meeting with lecturers and campaigners speaking and invited a Stop the War activist to speak who raised the question ‘who here would be up for a student occupation’ . Surprisingly every hand went up.
It was agreed to hold a ‘Books Not Bombs’ protest. The university should be investing in education projects not arms companies. People were asked to bring a book to hold up. Students slowly dispersed and in small groups made their way to the Shandon Lecture Theatre until around 80 people had arrived and university managers were contacted to declare it was ‘occupied’ with a list of demands including divestment from arms companies.
The lecture theatre became an alternative university with a video link up with students in Gaza, talks by journalism lecturers on media reportage of war, a Saudi trade unionist exiled for seeking to set up a union at BAE systems and films. Members of the local Muslim community delivered food to occupiers.
The occupation was publicised beyond university walls, bringing in messages of support and visits from local trade unions, politicians such as Leanne Wood (Plaid Cymru)and even an email from Noam Chomsky. Wider publicity worried University managers. The numbers involved in the 2009 occupation were small, but they had a big impact, the controversy generated on campus meant more people debating the Palestinian issue.
Also significant was the network of activists built in 2009 a year later formed the organising core of a much larger occupation against the government plans to treble student fees. This time 400 students, school students and supporters marched into the lobby of the Main Building to lay siege to the Vice-Chancellors office before again taking over the same lecture theatre.
