University student union rescinds Israel-Palestine motion

The University of Melbourne student union has rescinded a controversial motion calling for the university to boycott and divest from Israel after being threatened with legal action and a potential class action, write Nicole Precel and Marta Pascual Juanola for The Age.

Postgraduate law student Justin Riazaty (21) engaged pro bono lawyers to send a letter of demand to the University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU) calling on them to rescind the motion and apologise. The motion passed on 29 April called for the university to launch an academic boycott and cut ties with “Israeli institutions, researchers and academics that support the Israeli oppression of Palestinians”. It also called for divestment from corporations involved with Israel.

In a meeting on Thursday, the student council reiterated it was “committed to a voice on the Palestinian cause”. But it proposed to rescind and amend the earlier motion “due to a desire for UMSU’s funds to not be unnecessarily spent defending legal proceedings and to ensure that motions are robust, passed with due diligence and with regard to the interests of members”.
Full report on The Age site