I spent this morning at UEA, visiting with the students who are occupying part of the Arts Building, and also speaking with and listening to the views of a range of staff, students, administrators and officers of the student union. The senior administrators that I spoke to seem to me to be quite as concerned as we all are to find a successful, peaceful and timely resolution to this occupation - which is much to their credit. I hope very much that the administration will feel able to offer the courageous student-occupiers a real and significant commitment to some of what the students are asking for, and soon. If this happens, I believe that this dispute could be solved very rapidly indeed.
Like so many of us, I am very concerned about the dreadful suffering of the people of Gaza. I am also concerned that education at UEA should be able to return to normal as soon as possible. If this occupation yields tangible benefits for the students and the people of Palestine, such as books and computers, or a scholarship, then surely it will have been worthwhile. We need to make it worthwhile - let's do so in a way that makes the inconvenience to UEA students and staff just as short as possible. Nobody wants the studies of UEA students to be negatively affected by this.
Let's work together to talk together and get this sorted, so that UEA students and lecturers can get back into the classrooms; and so that students and lecturers in Gaza can be helped by us to rebuild their shattered universities and shattered lives.
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