Auckland University Students for Justice in Palestine, an autonomous chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, is calling for all students, youth and citizens to attend a rally and march from the Auckland University Quad, at 12pm on Tuesday, March 20, to call for the New Zealand Superannuation Fund to divest from 12 companies that are either producing nuclear weapons, producing cluster bombs, causing massive ecological destruction or committing systematic human rights and labour violations.
The superannuation fund currently holds NZ$64 million worth of shares in these 12 companies.
Three of the twelve companies are involved in the manufacture of Cluster bombs: Communications Holdings Inc., Raytheon Company, Lockeed Martin Corporation.
Another four are involved in the production of nuclear weapons. They are BAE Systems Plc, Finmeccanica Sp.A, EADS (European Aeronautic Defence & Space Company), Northrop Grumman Corp., and United Technologies Corp.
Two companies, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Wal-Mart de Mexico SA, consistently and systematically violate labour and human rights in developing nations.
Thye final company, Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. owns and operates one of the world’s largest copper mines in Papua, Indonesia where it uses a natural river system for tailings disposal. Freeport disposes close to 230,000 tonnes of tailings each day, releasing large amounts of sediments and heavy metals such as copper, cadmium and mercury into the watercourse.
We as students and youth believe that not only is it unethical for the government to invest in these 12 companies but also that we have a responsibility to take direct action against staking our future in nuclear war, cluster bombs, child labour and ecological catstrophe until the government divests from these threats to civilisation. March 20 is our chance to show the world that youth and students in Aotearoa/New Zealand are in solidarity with all those who struggle against the US Empire. We send greetings of love and solidarity to the students in West Papua who continue to resist the Freeport mine; to the students in the United States who are organising resistance to the brutal occupation of Iraq; to the workers in Wal-Mart’s suppliers who fight against their exploitation; and to the people of Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan who deal with the consequences of the Cluster bombs which our government invests in.
Our future is not in war, repression and ecological destruction. Our future is in justice, liberation and democracy.
Students for Justice in Palestine
(SDS AUCKLAND)
Auckland University Students for Justice in Palestine 