the Rally in Solidarity for the Academic Boycott; 25th Feb 2015 (image from Facebook: SOAS Referendum on Academic Boycott)

The referendum asked members whether they think SOAS should fully join the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) campaign, and implement academic boycott following theguidelines of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

Earlier this week, PACBI and Palestinian student and academic unions expressed their support for the 'Yes' campaign, and applauded efforts of pro-boycott campaigners.

The SOAS Students' Union has supported the BDS campaign since 2005. In October 2014,the Students' Union passed a motion that called on the Union "to take the BDS campaign to the University", through a school-wide referendum.

Along with Palestinians at SOAS, the boycott campaign received support from "the Justice for Cleaners campaign, the LGBTQIA+ Society, the Kashmir Solidarity Movement, Tamil Society, and the SOAS Student Union itself."

Middle East Monitor 27 februari 2015