Earlham College students launch divestment campaign

The following call for BDS at Earlham was circulated by Earlham Alumni Against Apartheid:

At Earlham College, a group students supported by alumni are calling on their college to join the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israeli apartheid.  BDS Earlham and Earlham Alumni Against Apartheid are asking you to join their campaign by signing their petition.

BDS Earlham is calling on Earlham College to end its investments in Motorola, Caterpillar, and Hewlett-Packard.  These companies are not only complicit in Israeli human rights violations but also violate spirit of Earlham’s ethical investment guidelines:

• Motorola manufactures the Israeli military with encrypted mobile phone technology and manufactures “virtual fences” and surveillance systems for Israeli settlements.   These Jewish-only settlements are a potent symbol of Israeli apartheid and are illegal under several international laws, including the 4th Geneva Convention.  Motorola also has close ties with Aeronautics Defense Systems (ADS), which makes drone aircraft.
• Caterpillar manufactures weaponized bulldozers that the Israeli army uses to demolish Palestinian homes.   Since Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967, it has demolished more than 12,000 Palestinian homes, leaving over 70,000 people traumatized and without shelter.
• Hewlett-Packard manufactures the Basel System, a body scanning technology used at Israeli checkpoints at the Gaza borders and inside the West Bank.   Israel’s system of checkpoints prevent Palestinians from moving freely, stopping farmers from accessing their land, students from going to school, and sick Palestinians from getting medical attention.

Supporting BDS Earlham only takes a minute.  Here’s how you can help:

• Sign:  Visit BDS Earlham’s website and sign the petition.
• Share: Send the link  and anyone in your life who cares about human rights.  BDS Earlham is collecting signatures from Alumni parents, organizations, and friends of the college here.  Sharing these links is one of the most important ways you can support BDS Earlham.

Thank you for taking the time to support BDS Earlham’s campaign.  Keep updated on the campaign by following BDS Earlham and Earlham Alumni Against Apartheid on Facebook. Here’s to justice and freedom!

By usacbi in Boycott News, Divestment, Student Organizing, U.S. Academica, U.S. Organizing on June 21, 2011