A statement about the University of Manchester occupation from your Students' Union

Solidarity with students: the University of Manchester occupation

At De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU), we acknowledge and congratulate the students at University of Manchester (UoM) for the successful occupation of their John Owens building in protest of their fossil fuel investment. After the unacceptable treatment of the students during the week by the university, we want to commend them for their sheer resilience and strength to fight for what is right throughout this process. The students at UoM have helped pave the way (alongside other students at University of York, Durham University, Cardiff University and Bristol University) to ensure that universities are held to account and we support those students in acknowledging that we have a duty to divest due to the current climate emergency.

According to the People and Planet university league scorecard, ethical investment is our lowest score (for more information please visit here). DMU recognises this, and are now in the process of prioritising divestment from fossil fuels.  However, ultimately it is students’ money, and it is our responsibility to ensure we are keeping them to account, by ensuring that we are divesting from fossil fuels we are also ensuring that we are reducing our universities carbon footprint.

To learn more about the need for fossil fuel divestment, please pop in to the SU office and we’d be happy to chat to you.

On behalf of the whole Students’ Union,

The Executive Team.

Diya Rattanpal, Equality and Diversity Executive

Katie Hobbs, Welfare Executive

Laura Flowers, Academic Executive

Aisha Ismail, Opportunities and Engagement Executive

Kate Askew, Union Development Executive