NEWS RELEASE
LU SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE
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A new group of Lakehead University faculty concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza issued an open letter on March 23, 2024.
The letter solicited signatures from faculty and students, including emeriti and alumni. The group issued four broad calls to action:
- An immediate and permanent ceasefire;
- An end to Israel’s blockade of Gaza;
- An end to the sale of Canadian arms and military technology to Israel; and
- A public statement from Lakehead University supporting academic freedom and the faculty and student right to speak freely about Palestine.
The open letter from the Lakehead University community has collected over 231 signatures and continues to gather signatures from Lakehead University faculty and students. The letter is available for signing here. For signatories, see LU open letter on Gaza.
After releasing the open letter, LU Solidarity with Palestine issued a new set of seven calls to action directed at the administration of Lakehead University:
- Issue a public statement supporting academic freedom and the right of faculty and students to speak freely about Palestine;
- Condemn Israel’s ongoing scholasticide and its bombing of all universities in Gaza;
- Provide full disclosure of all Israeli investments and partnerships;
- Divest from all businesses, companies, banks, and corporations profiting from the Israeli occupation of Palestine, including those that sell components to the United States (and other countries) that produce/support militarization related to the arms trade and emerging military and security technologies;
- Foster academic links between Lakehead University and Palestinian universities and scholars;
- Voice your support for students and faculty across Turtle Island who are standing in opposition to the genocide in Gaza; and
- Condemn university administrations that call the police on their students, staff, and faculty and use surveillance and violence to repress expressions of support for Palestinian liberation.
To contact LU Solidarity with Palestine, please email or call Taina Maki Chahal, contract lecturer, [email protected], 807-630-9341.
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