Students at the University of Sussex in the UK have voted overwhelmingly in support of their student union being part of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement.

In a cross-campus referendum that closed on Friday, 806 students voted in favor of BDS (68 percent of votes cast), compared to just 373 votes against.

The referendum ensures that Israeli products will remain off the shelves at student union shops. This policy had been in place since 2009, but was due to expire.

The vote means the student union should now step up its campaigning against the contract between the University of Sussex and Veolia, a French multinational targeted by the BDS movement over its role in illegal Israeli settlements.

I spoke with Kareem B, a Palestinian student involved in the highly visible campus campaign that involved several weeks of events and actions on campus.

“Students at Sussex were horrified at Israel’s massacre of Palestinians in Gaza last summer,” he said. ”We’ve been able to show that joining the BDS movement is one of the most effective ways we can take effective action in solidarity with Palestinian students and young people.”

“This vote demonstrates that BDS now has popular appeal on our campus. We’re looking forward about developing the BDS campaign here at Sussex next year with the student union’s support,” he added.

Student unions and groups in Gaza had called on Sussex students to vote for BDS in a written statement.

The few pro-Israel students on campus failed to agree on the best way to defend Israel’s crimes, meaning that the anti-BDS campaign on campus was even weaker than had been anticipated. Only one pro-Israel student showed up to oppose BDS at a debate organized by the student union.

http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/michael-deas/sussex-students-join-uks-wave-israel-boycotts