The Stunted Student Rebellion for Palestine

Massey University Foundation’s still invests thousands in Israel Government bonds. But are students too defeated to keep fighting it?  

Art / Tara Griz

Last week, I was rushing to my 9am class when I noticed the faded black paint on the concrete of the Wellington campus. I remembered that only a year ago I watched a man in a yellow Hi Vis painting over a tag, “MASSEY FUNDS GENOCIDE.” I didn’t go up to him or ask why he was covering it up, instead I sent a photo to my friends saying it was messed up.  

That’s how my involvement with Justice for Palestine felt. I liked Instagram pictures, reposted protests and listened to educational videos. When the news broke that Fine Arts students had painted a protest mural, I felt empowered but with a pang of guilt. And when Open Days brought banners, spray paint, and chalk, I felt too busy with deadlines and classes to involve myself with the activism on campus.  

Only now that the paint has been scrubbed off and the banners have been lowered, that I realised how loud my silence was. 

When Massive broke the news last year that Massey University Foundation’s had $7,105 invested in Israel Government bonds, students wreaked havoc. But despite the investments remaining, this year campuses have been quiet. Open Days are back to their PR grind -- in fact this year was the first time in three years there was no protesting on any campus Open Day. The student association hasn’t shared a thing about Palestine in over a year. Even us at Massive have reported on the genocide and university investment significantly less. 

Other universities broke under student pressure and took action, but Massey did not. Are Massey students simply defeated?  

Graduate Grace Rayner was one of the students who last year lifted a banner saying “DIVEST FROM ISRAELI FUNDS” at the Wellington Open Day. Joining the interview with a T-shirt with the words ‘Ceasefire Now’ printed on, Grace is a proud member of the activist group, Massey Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).  

Grace felt that since many from the group had graduated, things have become stale. They said there hasn’t been enough direct action this year, saying people are happy to support a protest but don’t necessarily want to be involved.  

“It can be a little bit scary, and I get that. But I'm still surprised that people aren't willing to do more.”  

“It's going to just keep on going if everyone turns their backs. Like, you're just as bad as the people that are doing it, right? If you're complicit, you're helping.” 

Massey professor Sean Phelan echoed the sentiment that there just hasn’t been enough driving force. He believed that to create action, students and staff need to unionise. 

“To be fair, staff at Massey haven't organised clearly as a collective around the issue. At least in contrast to Otago,” he says. Down south at Otago University, students have continued to protest all year. The push has gotten them somewhere. Just a month ago Critic reported that their student association re-adopted their Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) posture after overwhelming student endorsement.  

A prominent student activist from last year, Fine Arts graduate Tamara Irvine, said students should be inspired by the student protests that pushed Victoria University and Canterbury University to divest.  

In June, Canta reported that Canterbury had divested $44,000 from armaments (military weapons and the equipment used for warfare). And in May last year, students camped on campus for 27 hours, securing an academic board boycott. Over at Vic, in September last year Salient reported that student pressure led Victoria University to divest $47,000 from Israeli bonds.  

Tamara was heavily involved with SJP last year, being one of the students who infamously graffitied a protest mural on the Wellington Fine Arts stairwell. Now, Tamara felt the lack of student protests could stem from burn out and desensitisation from media. As one of these students, Tamara’s words sat heavy with me.  

“When there’s no one taking a lead on actions it’s easy to just forget about it.” 

Tamara reflects that the mural raised more debate about how protests should be conducted rather than the issue itself. “I ended up having to do restorative meetings with the staff, and they set guidelines of how I’m allowed to protest.” 

However, a Massey University spokesperson said the university did not discourage students from protesting last year — rather they specified that they do not condone damage to property.  

“The university supports the right to protest, but we do not condone damage to property or people. We encourage our students to discuss issues and engage in informed debate as is appropriate for a university.”  

They clarified that the foundation is a separate legal entity to Massey, with the decision on how to invest left to the trustees and not the university. “We respect the right of students to peacefully protest and we ask that all students, regardless of their views, respect the opinions and choices of their peers, to ensure that our workplace and place of learning and research is safe for everyone.” 

Despite the quietness, one student group has made an impact this year, taking their protesting away from the university after getting nowhere. Earlier this month the Civics Club— a political club in Manawatū — were involved in the push to get the Palmerston North City Council to call for a ceasefire. A petition signed by 2,040 people was presented, resulting in the mayor Grant Smith promising to write to the Prime Minister advocating for a ceasefire.  

The club president Keezia Broughton felt disappointed to see the student association had turned silent on the matter, with no posts about Palestine on social media since August last year.  

In a short statement to Massive, the student association did not speak to their inactivity directly, but said their stance hasn’t changed. They are still against the investments in Israeli Government bonds.  

As an organisation promising to be Te Tiriti led, they said they “still stand in support of Palestinians and all indigenous peoples”.  

“We condemn the devastating violence against the Palestinian people and the systematic violations of Palestinian rights by the Israeli government.” 

Students haven’t seen this support visibly at least. We’ve seen colourful events and free food. Which are well-loved — but not politically charged. And with an entire restructure happening with an end of year deadline looming, the association likely has its hands full.  

While the association as a whole hadn’t been vocal, Wellington student representative Louisa Joines had been. In June, Joines and Massey SJP organised a screening of the Palestinian films.  

The rep believed the association needs to band with Massey SJP, aligning with their constitutional promise to honour Te Tiriti. “If we want to be indigenously led, I think we need to.” 

It’s this banding together Louisa speaks to that is vital. The issue is the lack of a unified driving force and faces to the cause.  

I used to think that Massey students weren’t politically charged enough to drive the university to divest. I don’t think that’s true. Students battling deadlines and burnout have often put activism at the back of their mind. But the individual resistance is there — on design projects, in conversations in the classroom and badges on tote bags. It takes people like me, the silent middle, to get off our phones and step onto campus with our support. I thought that my struggle to fully comprehend the happenings in Gaza was a reason to stay quiet. But that's a bad excuse.  

The question is not whether Massey should divest — it’s whether students demand it.