The University of Toronto’s Graduate Student Union (GSU) voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution to endorse the campaign known as “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” (BDS) against the state of Israel at their meeting on December 10.
BDS calls for U of T to refrain from investments in companies, including Lockheed Martin and Hewlett Packard, that are described as profiting from “illegal occupation of Palestinian land” and the “collective punishment of Palestinians.”
One hundred and fifty graduate students were present at the meeting, of which 97 per cent voted in favor of the motion. Some students who opposed the motion said they felt that the GSU violated their bylaws by not advertising the motion prior to the meeting.
Erin Oldynski, external commissioner for the GSU, promised that “a motion such as this is only the beginning of a much longer campaign.” Other Canadian universities have passed similar resolutions, including York University, University of Regina, and Carleton University.
