Rally for a Voice: Western University Administration must stop silencing the community that sustains them
For far too long, Western University community members have been iced out of crucial decision-making processes that influence not only the university community, but also set and uphold broader systems of power and influence public opinion. Post-secondary institutions play a key role in shaping how we understand and interact with the world as students, employees, and citizens. This is why it is crucial that decisions that reflect the moral and ethical position of the university, represent the voices of its community.
The most outrageous and urgent example of Western silencing the voices of the community that sustains it is Western’s choice of investments. Western continues to invest in corporations that are funding the climate crisis, violating Indigenous rights, and funding or enabling the illegal occupation of Palestine. Despite the Western community demanding Western acknowledge that their money carries power, the university has instead worked to systemically undermine these voices.
Western also claims to leverage its abilities as a research-intensive university when referring to its investments, yet ignores the faculty who have devoted their life to researching climate change and are consequently calling on the University to divest their assets from the fossil fuel industry.
Western has ignored past community calls for consultation, going so far as to claim that there is no precedent for decisions around investment policy to be made outside of private Board of Governors meetings. Yet in 1985, on the recommendation of the President's Advisory Committee on Investment in South Africa and following community consultation, Western adopted investment policy to divest from South African apartheid. Once again we, the undersigned members of the Western community, have come together to demand Western hear our collective voice and immediately consult with the community on the investment policy controlling the multi-billion dollar Operating and Endowment fund and Mid-term Portfolio.
From Turtle Island to Palestine, we believe that another world is possible, one where colonialism and imperialism will be defeated. We recognize that systems of exclusion work to individualize the silencing of our voices, but we will not be isolated from each other. Our silencing is intersectional and the oppression of voices within our community mirrors that of broader systemic oppression and marginalization.
We demand that Western acknowledge the voices of the people who enable it to exist as an institution. Specifically, we demand community consultation on Western’s investments in 1) Fossil Fuels, and 2) Israeli Apartheid.
Regarding Fossil Fuels
We demand that Western University address the urgency of the climate crisis and their complicity in settler-colonial violence by divesting from fossil fuels and ceasing to prop up the fossil fuel industry.
Western University currently invests $58 million in fossil fuel companies. Western defends and upholds the business-as-usual approach that is driving the climate crisis and promotes false solutions to distract and divert attention from their complicity; by owning shares in fossil fuel companies, Western is actively profiting off the climate crisis and the violation of Indigenous rights.
Regarding Israeli Apartheid
We demand that Western University immediately divest from the companies that are directly involved in the illegal and ongoing occupation of Palestine, and the apartheid system that Israel continues to uphold.
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, B’Tselem, and other human rights organizations have deemed Israel an apartheid state, meaning Israel actively practices systematic policies of political, social, and economic discrimination and segregation towards Palestinians. On January 26th, 2024, the International Court of Justice, the highest court of the United Nations, found prima facie that Israel was committing a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and will continue to investigate.
Western University currently invests approximately $15 million in military contractors and $33.6 million in companies that support Israeli apartheid. Western is both profiting off of and enabling the human rights violations being committed by the Israeli military in Gaza.
Western professes to value human rights and claims to be a partner in reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, these investments directly contradict these stated values. By financially supporting companies involved in Israeli apartheid, Western is complicit in the destruction and perpetuation of inequalities worldwide. This not only contradicts the principles they claim to uphold but also undermines the well-being of its own students. These investments create an institution that fails to represent the diverse values and concerns of its student body, fostering hostilities and tensions on campus.
Again, we, the undersigned groups, demand immediate community consultation on the investment policy. This consultation should include:
Signed in solidarity,
The Climate Crisis Coalition
For the past four years, Western students, faculty, and staff have been calling for Western to divest from fossil fuels and follow the lead of 13 other post-secondary institutions in Canada. Profiting off the climate crisis and funding the violation of Indigenous rights blatantly contradicts Western’s numerous commitments to sustainability and decolonization. As members of the Western community fighting for climate justice and working to oppose colonial violence in Canada, we recognize how our work is intrinsically connected to the Palestinian struggle against colonial violence and Israeli apartheid. Western must stop the concentration of cultural, political, and economic power among a few designated individuals, and consult with its community to address the harms its investments are causing.
Muslim Student Association
As members of the Muslim Student Association at Western University, we adamantly oppose our institution's investments that perpetuate the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Palestine. We recognize that such investments not only aid in the oppression of Palestinians but also perpetuate weaponry that destroys communities. We demand immediate divestment from companies complicit in the Israeli occupation.Additionally, we are deeply concerned about Western's investments in fossil fuels, which contribute to climate chaos, perpetually harming marginalized communities we actively advocate for. We urge Western to divest from fossil fuel companies. Western University must align its investments with its professed values of justice and solidarity with oppressed communities worldwide.
Palestinian Cultural Club
As members of the Palestinian Cultural Club, we refuse to accept that Western University's investments aid in the killing and oppression of our people. It is unconscionable for our institution to support industries that directly contribute to the suffering and loss of Palestinian lives. We demand that Western University immediately divest from companies involved in the Israeli occupation and cease its complicity in the violence against Palestinians. We refuse to be part of an institution that disregards the lives and struggles of our people. Western must align its investments with the values it claims to uphold and demonstrate genuine solidarity with oppressed communities worldwide.
NDP Western
We demand that Western University prioritize transparency, particularly to the student community, surrounding divestment. We demand that community consultation on investment policy and divestment initiatives include increased cooperation with student groups (e.g., the USC) because students are core members of the university community and deserve a say in how the university makes its money.
Turkic Cultural Club
The TCC joins in the call for community consultation on Western’s investment policy to ensure that these investments align with the values of inclusivity, diversity, and social justice. Divestment from both fossil fuels and companies supporting the Israeli occupation is essential for fostering a campus environment that represents and supports all members of our diverse community.
Arab Student Association
The ASA formally joins this coalition to call on Western for immediate community consultation on investment policy. As a club, we are deeply concerned about Western University's investments in industries that perpetuate human rights violations and environmental degradation. Western's investments in fossil fuel companies and those supporting the Israeli occupation directly contribute to disparities and tensions on campus, making it harder for us to create a safe and inclusive environment for our members.
Syrian Association at Western
The Syrian Association at Western University formally joins this coalition to call on Western for immediate community consultation on investment policy. As an association, we are deeply concerned about Western University's investments in industries that perpetuate human rights violations and environmental degradation. Western's investments in fossil fuel companies and those supporting oppressive regimes directly contribute to disparities and tensions on campus, making it harder for us to create a safe and inclusive environment for our members. We urge Western University to prioritize ethical investments that align with our values of justice, inclusivity, and sustainability.
PANGEA
Pangea, the multicultural club at Western University, formally joins this coalition to call on Western for immediate community consultation on investment policy. As a club dedicated to celebrating diversity and promoting inclusivity, we are deeply concerned about Western University's investments in industries that perpetuate human rights violations and environmental degradation. Western's investments in fossil fuel companies and those supporting oppressive regimes directly contribute to disparities and tensions on campus, hindering our efforts to foster a welcoming and harmonious environment for all students. We urge Western University to prioritize ethical investments that align with our values of cultural appreciation, social justice, and environmental sustainability.
The Canadian Palestinian Social Association
The Canadian Palestinian Social Association is deeply invested in collaborative efforts with Western University to benefit our communities. However, we are alarmed by Western's investments in industries that perpetuate human rights violations and environmental degradation. These investments not only contradict the values of justice and equity that we stand for but also threaten the well-being of our local communities.
Independent Jewish Voices
We demand that Western University prioritize community consultation on its investment policies to ensure that these investments align with the interests and values of our local communities. Investments that perpetuate harm and inequality are detrimental to our collaborative efforts and future partnerships with Western University. We refuse to engage in collaborations that compromise the well-being of our communities and call on Western to divest from industries that perpetuate injustice.
Generation Palestine
Generation Palestine, a youth-led group in the community, is deeply committed to advocating for the rights and well-being of Palestinians. As an organization dedicated to empowering young voices and fostering positive change, we are concerned by Western University's investments in industries that perpetuate human rights violations and environmental degradation. These investments contradict the values of justice and equity that we stand for, and they pose a direct threat to the welfare of communities worldwide, including those in Palestine. We urge Western University to reconsider its investment policies and align them with principles of social justice and human rights.
Sikh Student Association
As representatives of the Sikh Student Association at Western University, we stand in solidarity with those advocating for justice and equality. We adamantly oppose Western's investments that contribute to the suffering of Palestinians and perpetuate the destruction of communities through weaponry. We call for immediate divestment from companies complicit in the Israeli occupation, aligning with our values of compassion, justice, and solidarity with oppressed communities worldwide. Additionally, we express deep concern regarding Western's investments in fossil fuels, which exacerbate climate chaos and disproportionately harm marginalized communities. As advocates for social justice and environmental sustainability, we urge Western to divest from fossil fuel companies, prioritize ethical investments, and uphold its responsibility to promote equity and a better world for all.
LiberAsian
As a pan-Asian community group, we unequivocally oppose Western University's investments in entities that support the Israeli occupation of Palestine and exacerbate the climate crisis, disproportionately affecting Global South regions, particularly in Asia, and Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island. These investments, entrenched in environmental racism and settler-colonialism, betray the university’s claims of upholding values of sustainability and equity. We demand immediate divestment, and consultation with the community to realign the university's fiscal strategies with commitments to environmental stewardship and decolonization. Such action is not merely a financial adjustment but a profound moral and political commitment to dismantling structures of oppression. Failure to divest is to remain complicit in perpetuating injustice. In this critical juncture of our shared history, Western University has the opportunity—and the moral obligation—to lead by example, proving that institutions of education can and should be leaders of progressive change and ethical stewardship. The time to divest is now; anything less would be an abdication of responsibility and would reaffirm Western University’s role as a colonial institution.
London Food Not Bombs
Forest City Food Not Bombs is a direct action, mutual aid collective protesting food insecurity, poverty, homelessness, capitalism, and war by providing free food to anyone who wants it, building a community through sharing food, a human right and not a privilege. We act in solidarity with local organizations and communities who share a commitment to social justice, which is why we are writing this letter: Western's investments in industries that perpetuate human rights violations and environmental degradation threaten not only justice and equity but London's own local communities, and it is for these reasons that we must speak out
Lebanese Student Association
As representatives of the Lebanese Student Association at Western University, we stand in solidarity with those advocating for justice and equity. We firmly oppose Western's investments that contribute to the suffering of Palestinians and perpetuate the destruction of communities through weaponry. We demand immediate divestment from companies complicit in the Israeli occupation, aligning with our commitment to supporting oppressed communities worldwide. Additionally, we express deep concern regarding Western's investments in fossil fuels, which exacerbate climate chaos and have detrimental impacts on the environment and public health, including in Lebanon. As advocates for our community and environmental sustainability, we urge Western to divest from fossil fuel companies, prioritize ethical investments, and uphold its responsibility to promote justice, equity, and a sustainable future for all.
Western Egyptian Student Association
The WESA formally joins this coalition to call on Western for immediate community consultation on investment policy. As a club, we are deeply concerned about Western University's investments in industries that perpetuate human rights violations and environmental degradation. Western's investments in fossil fuel companies and those supporting the Israeli occupation directly contribute to disparities and tensions on campus, making it harder for us to create a safe and inclusive environment for our members.
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)
CJPME urges Western University to respect the community and prioritize meaningful consultation on its investment policy. Our institutions can no longer continue to prop up industries that are complicit in environmental degradation and human rights violations. It is unacceptable that Western would maintain investments in military companies directly involved in genocide and apartheid. Now is the time to divest.
The Council of Canadians, London Chapter
Our Chapter salutes Western’s recent decision to ban the sale of single use plastic water bottles. True sustainability , however, requires immediate reductions and closure of the fossil fuel industry. That Western invests in fossil fuel companies and is not in a rapid divesting process suggests sustainability is just a word being used and not an serious intent. Western also holds shares in companies that sell weaponry to Israel. This means Western is profiting from the ongoing destruction of Gaza and the mass suffering and displacement of the Palestinian people. Enlightened people and institutions do not knowingly profit from the sale of the machines of war. Is this the example we set for students ? We ask that Western declare an intent to divest from such war-profiting shares immediately. In all cases, Western’s investment philosophy needs community oversight.
People for Peace London
As UWO graduates and community members, the shadow cast by the endowments and investments of the UWO largesse was always a concern. We know that their economic/social power, or perceived power, comes from neocolonialist and climate exploitation practices exercised through their investments, many of which would contravene the essence of many classes taught in UWO buildings. Their investments should be brought out of the shadows and realigned to match all of their stakeholders values, including all those of individuals and community groups outside of their board of governors.