Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah appeared on campus to deliver a talk on “Israel’s killing apparatus”, and discuss details of biological weaponry currently used in Palestine.
The talk was hosted by the UofG Solidarity Society, and was the Rector’s first public appearance at the University since his installation last April. Dr Abu-Sittah currently has no future plans for Rector surgeries, or further engagement with students, but will address the Glasgow Bethlehem Twinning Association on 16 May.
During the talk, Dr Abu-Sittah discussed the “magnitude of the killing [in Palestine]”, citing The Lancet’s statistic that 14% of Gaza has been killed by the Israeli State. The Rector went on to condemn “settler colonial violence”, suggesting US President Donald Trump represents “settler colonial white supremacist concepts.”
The Rector told the audience about the destruction of Gaza’s cemeteries, so “people do not have anywhere to go and see where their grandparents are buried.” He suggested that this “erasure of Gaza’s past” has been part of the “genocidal infrastructure” since the 1940s.
Dr Abu-Sittah criticised the University Court, saying that they were “linked to the manufacture of the murder weapons” for voting to maintain investment in arms companies last November. He asked the audience, which included Deputy Vice Chancellor David Duncan, “Why, other than commitment to the imperial project, would you still want to be associated with the manufacture of weapons?”
The Rector made no mention of his absence at the vote, or his non-attendance on campus during the year since his installation. He told the audience he would be attending this week’s Court meeting.
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