Students for Justice in Palestine introduced legislation focused on divestment at the Associated Students of Madison open forum meeting March 18.
The legislation, written in part by SJP member Adam Donahue, calls for the Universities of Wisconsin to divest from BlackRock index funds, arguing that it violates Wisconsin state statute 36.29(1), which prohibits the schools’ investment in groups that condone or practice discriminatory actions.
“This is a bill about legal compliance with said statute, and it is based on the precedent of UW divestment from South Africa apartheid in 1978 and Sudan’s Darfur genocide,” Donahue said. “The calls for divestment are conduct-based, not country-based.”
Between the UW System Trust Fund and the UW Intermediate Term Fund, the universities invest at least $1 billion in BlackRock index funds, according to the legislation.
The BlackRock index funds UW invests in contain holdings in weapons manufacturers like Lockheed Martin, as well as financial ties to the gold market in the United Arab Emirates that finances the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, according to the legislation.
“Israel has been determined to be committing genocide and apartheid, as has the RSF in Sudan likewise been determined to be committing ethnic cleansing, and, more recently, genocide against indigenous African Sudanese people,” Donahue said. “All of these things are materially supported by UW.”
The legislation also called for divesting from companies like Palantir, Microsoft, Google, etc. due to contracts with the Israeli Defense Force and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as companies that violate Native American treaties and pose risks to the environment, according to the legislation text.
Several students spoke in opposition to the legislation and shared concerns over antisemitism within the bill’s text that it could further perpetuate on campus, particularly due to the legislation’s focus on Israel.
“Advocating for UW to divest from companies that support Israel after they were drawn into war … shows that there are students here who ignore how important Israel is to the U.S., its democracy, its technology, its security and its population,” Jewish student Gavin Scher said. “[It] alienates people and companies who rationally believe in the state of Israel’s right to exist and defend itself.”
More students and community members, including those from UW’s Jewish community, spoke in favor of divestment.
Many speakers in favor of the legislation pushed back on claims that it disproportionately or solely targets Israel, or that it would contribute to an increase of antisemitic behavior on the UW campuses.
“[The legislation] is in no way antisemitic. This bill is not about Judaism or Israel, it’s about what is being done with our money,” Jewish student Abbie Klein said. “The university is using our money to undermine the safety of others, to fund weapons being used in multiple genocides happening around the world.”
The legislation cited reports from organizations like the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that have characterized Israel’s military operations against Palestinians in Gaza as genocide.
Dean of Students Christina Olstad said after talking with the UW-Madison Office of Legal Affairs counsel Doug Lovejoy, the legislation does appear to be in violation of that Wisconsin law.
“Right now, the status quo in the state of Wisconsin says that if you are a company doing business with the state, or if you are a state entity … you have to sign essentially a loyalty pledge to Israel, saying that you will not boycott or divest from them. That is absolutely wrong,” Rep. Ryan Clancy, D-Milwaukee, said.
ASM amended the original meeting agenda to move the divestment legislation’s moment from first to last in a 12-9 vote.
The legislation was able to finish its introduction during the meeting, but became scrambled during deliberation as it meandered closer to the Student Activity Center’s closing time, which hosts ASM’s meetings.
ASM now will hold an emergency meeting March 25 to vote on the resolution.
Editor’s note: The image caption was updated to clarify that the students in the photo are not members of SJP and the article was updated to include the date of ASM’s emergency meeting.
