2024-05-05 07:34:28
Several hundred people flocked to the campus of the University of Lausanne (UNIL) on Saturday to support the students mobilizing for the Palestinian cause. General meetings, workshops, yoga, music and discussions characterized the day.
Since Thursday, the lobby of the Geopolis building has been occupied by a group of students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. They were given the right to stay until late Monday followingnoon, when a new meeting will be held with the rector’s office.
On campus, Palestinian flags and various banners signal the occupation of the premises and remind students of their demands. The highlight of the day was a gathering that drew around 400 people to the venue. It took place in a relaxed atmosphere, with participants left outside the building.
Supportive teachers
“Gaza, UNIL is with you” and “Down with Israeli apartheid” chanted the participants between two speeches. Joseph Daher, visiting professor from UNIL, will later hold a conference. He welcomes the mobilization of students who “are outraged by something that is unacceptable, a genocide”, he says.
Another professor, sociologist Olivier Fillieule, also lends his support, recalling “that the aim of teachers is to transform students into citizens”. He demands “total transparency” from the university regarding its cooperation with Israeli institutions, a demand raised in a letter addressed to the management and which UNIL employees are asked to sign.
Willingness to dialogue
The teacher welcomes the attitude of the rectorate, which has shown “at least for the moment” a desire for dialogue, in contrast to EPFL. This actually threatens to suspend the Polyquity association due to a conference deemed “biased”. Several speakers asked the Haute Ecole to reconsider its position.
Inside Geopolis, life is organized. The students hold two general assemblies per day to make decisions. Sofas have been moved to the first floor. Three small gray tents sit in the atrium, and a room with mattresses serves as a dormitory, explains a spokesperson. Some are preparing to spend a third night at the site.
This article was automatically published. Source: ats
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