UCU Academic Boycott proposal deemed Illegal
The University and College Union (UCU) released a statement on Friday 28 September, announcing that an academic boycott against Israel would be unlawful and cannot be implemented.
The decision came after the UCU sought and received "extensive legal advice” which, according to the union's statement, made it clear that "making a call to boycott Israeli institutions would run a serious risk of infringing discrimination legislation". The union will immediately inform branches and members that UCU members' opinions cannot be tested at local meetings, and the proposed regional tour has been suspended.
The UCU's annual congress had voted in May to distribute pro-boycott literature to local UCU chapters encouraging them to discuss the issue at local meetings, alongside an effort to take Palestinian academics on regional tours in support of the proposed boycott. However, the union has now been told that "while the UCU is at liberty to debate the pros and cons of Israeli policies... the use of union funds directly or indirectly to further such a boycott would also be unlawful".
The union's announcement came from its strategy and finance committee, which concurred unanimously with the recommendation of Sally Hunt, UCU's General Secretary. Ms Hunt said that she hoped the union could now “play a positive role in supporting Palestinian and Israeli educators and in promoting a just peace in the Middle East.”