Fund education not war
Students at Sussex University are campaigning to get withdrawn the appointment of Jamie Shea -- a senior NATO advisor -- as a visiting lecturer. Shea, who is forever excusing NATO air strikes that kill Afghan civilians as "mistakes", was confronted at the end of his lecture by Tom Wills, who explained why students want him thrown off the campus. Hear the audio of Tom's response below.
By Stop the War Coalition
01 November 2010
Tom Wills explains to NATO's Jamie Shea, why students want him thrown off campus.
{audio}http://stopwar.org.uk//twills_vs_jshea.mp3{/audio}
Jamie Shea, Nato Director of Policy Planning
Tom Wills, student at University of Sussex
Last week the government announced massive cuts to funding for universities as part of its spending review. They say there is no money for education, while billions of pounds are spent on a war in Afghanistan which the majority of the British people oppose.
The government is telling universities they must find funding from other sources. To do that universities are gradually transforming the kind of education they provide. Education for the benefit of society is being replaced with whatever will attract funding from the likes of big corporations and the military.
In the latest example of this transformation, the University of Sussex management controversially appointed Jamie Shea, a senior NATO advisor, as a visiting lecturer in International Relations.
NATO is responsible for the Western military operations in Afghanistan, and despite the current austerity NATO is campaigning for more military spending. The No Shea at Sussex campaign opposes the links between education cuts and the increasing influence of the military in universities and is calling for Shea’s appointment to be withdrawn.
Student Tom Wills, pulled no punches, following a Jamie Shea lecture, in telling him why there was a campaign to get the university to withdraw his appointment.
Tom highlights particularly Shea's description of Afghan civilian deaths due to Nato bombing as a "mistake".
"You can't say something was a mistake if you knew what was going to happen. You can't possibly call in air strikes on residential areas and not expect that there will be civilian casualties. It is disengenuous and dishonest to say this is a mistake."
More information and the No Shea at Sussex petition...
Afghanistan: Time to Go - Troops Home Now
National Demonstration Saturday 20 November 2010
Assemble Hyde Park London 12 Noon
March to Trafalgar Square
Details and how you can help...
