Glasgow University Students Representative Council voted on January 17th "to campaign vigorously to secure Vanunu’s release from Israeli detention".
Glasgow University students can now call on Glasgow City Council for assistance, after Scotland’s largest city council pledged on February 21st to also support the campaign for Vanunu’s freedom. With both Glasgow students and the City Council singing from the same hymn-sheet (at least they are finally singing!) we can all now think about how to make the motion below effective and operational.
SPSC suggest the following practical steps:
- organise the delegation to the Scottish Government as soon as possible, inviting City Councillors and civil society groups to join and strengthen it
- produce posters and write articles for the SRC to get out to students
- the SRC to write their own letter, as well as a joint letter with Glasgow City Council, to the Israeli Information Office insisting that they defend the libel they openly circulated that Vanunu facilitated terrorist attacks
- organise a broad-based delegation from the University, the City Council, and Vanunu campaigners to visit Vanunu before his appeal on March 23rd
“This SRC notes that Mordechai Vanunu:
1. Has made a huge contribution to the cause of removing nuclear weapons from the Middle East.
2. Remains the elected Rector of Glasgow University’s students until February 2008. [actually April 9, SPSC]
3. Was kidnapped from Rome and incarcerated for 18 years in prison in Israel in 2004 following his revelations about Israel’s nuclear weapon programme.
4. Was held in solitary confinement for more than 11 years.
5. Remains subject to severe travel restrictions within Israel/Palestine.
6. Has been sentenced to a further six months in prison for ‘speaking to foreigners’ including many Scots.
- This SRC demands that the Israeli government release Vanunu immediately.
- This SRC resolves to campaign vigorously to secure Vanunu’s release from Israeli detention. To this end we will:
- Inform GU students of Vanunu’s record and current situation through posters, newspaper articles, campus meetings, etc.
- organise a delegation to meet with officials of the Scottish government to ask them to pressure the Israeli Government to lift all restrictions on Mordechai Vanunu and allow him the freedom to travel.
- also support any SRC affiliated Clubs & Societies in appropriate activities related to a conference in support of freeing Vanunu.
- extend an invitation to a spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy to come to Glasgow University to defend Israel’s continuing detention and fresh sentencing of Vanunu."
