QUT students demand university to cut ties with companies linked to Israel

Students at a major Queensland university will gather this week to demand the institution cut ties linked to the war in Gaza.

Hundreds of students are expected to vote on the matter. File picture: NCA NewsWire/Dan Peled

Students at a Queensland university will meet on Thursday to demand the institution cut ties with companies linked to the war in Gaza.

Queensland university of Technology Guild education officer Isabella Foley said hundreds of students would vote on three motions to send a strong message to the school.

“We want the university to disclose all of the weapons ties that it has, as well as divest from all of these companies,” she said.

“We’ve called the special general meeting to basically get students involved in calling on our university to cut all ties with Israel.”

She claimed the university had ties with Boeing, Thales, Rheinmetall and the US Air Force.

A QUT spokeswoman said the university does not contribute financially to any of the companies referred to.

She also said QUT had not received any submissions from students.

“However, we have been working with the QUT Guild to ensure the meeting tomorrow is safe and respectful of all parties,” she said.

“We have also reached out to the Guild indicating how they can contribute to the development of the QUT risk framework: research with potential military applications.

“As a university that is committed to the protection of academic freedom and freedom of speech, QUT respects and supports the right of the QUT Guild to call a special general meeting as per the guild constitution.”

This came after a massive protest on the University of Queensland St Lucia campus following a more than 1000 student meeting initiated by the UQ Gaza Solidarity Encampment on May 29.

Ms Foley said QUT students were inspired by the UQ encampment.

“I’ve actually been speaking to QUT students for weeks now, who are actually just so happy that we’re having our own special general meeting because they wanted to be part of the one that happened at UQ,” she said.

“People are just horrified to hear that QUT’s basically very similar (ties) to certain companies that UQ has.”

The meeting will be held at 4.30pm on Thursday at the Gardens Point campus.