Zaragoza University students lock themselves up to demand “independent Palestine”

With the aim of the University of Zaragoza giving a “forceful” response to the “genocide” taking place in Gaza, In the Interfaculty Building on the San Francisco campus, dozens of students have locked themselves out, with only a start date set for now. This is the minimum stated by the Popular Assembly of the University of Zaragoza Relations with Israel’s educational institutions are “broken”. Ian Stork, one of the spokesmen, claimed on Thursday, “We want a responsible and clear response, a response that prevents vague equivocation in a conflict in which civilian populations are being bombed day and night.”

Received the support of hundreds of people of all ages, who gathered in the middle of the Aragonese public complex, shouting “Israel kills, Europe sponsors”, “Long live free Palestine” or “Boycott, boycott, boycott Israel”, What prompted the decision to join the camps that have been springing up around the world since last week. They started in the United States with Columbia University as the main focus, and these days they have already spread to Spanish campuses such as Valencia, Málaga or Alicante.

The statement issued by the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE), whose vice-president is the Aragonese Rector, José Antonio Mayoral, was not enough, in which they committed to “reviewing” cooperation agreements with universities and research centers that ” “However, in the face of the war in Ukraine there was a solidarity movement, which has not expressed a strong commitment to peace and compliance with international humanitarian law.” “In the face of this massacre, the Paraninfo building is only a cowardly and hypocritical banner advocating peace, tolerance and equality.”Saras criticized the situation, saying that more than 30,000 Palestinians have been murdered since October.

“We cannot sit idle,” Defended and expressed regret at the “repression” suffered by thousands of students “whose only crime was to protest against the abuses committed by the Israeli government and its support of Western governments.” The University Network of Palestine also participated in the mobilization and criticized that CRUE’s statement “does not talk about genocide”: “They condemn something that seems to have fallen from the sky.” “There is no institutional innocence here,” he said.

Similarly, Palestinian members of the House of Aragon participated. “We have come to support the student movement, you are the future. And we ask the Spanish government to cut commercial and diplomatic relations with Israel,” defended a Palestinian who has lived in Zaragoza for more than 50 years. Have a rally in an open microphone moment. Leticia, one of the youth participants, also joined. “I love my career, but I feel deeply disconnected from it. “I feel trapped in a contradiction because every day I see helpless children who do not understand why genocide has been committed in their homes.” This young law student expressed this.

campus support

Equipped with sleeping bags and food, they began their first night in Interfacultades, where they left the building entrances and bathrooms open and even provided microwaves for them. “I understand and share what they are doing. They are responsible and the communication that is coming from the universities is also responsible,” he said.This was emphasized by the Vice-Rector of Students, Angela Alcala, who supported working in a “coordinated” and “calm” manner. “We will sit down and explain to them the reality of what we are doing,” he said.