AMERICAN LABOUR:

STUDENTS SITTING-IN AT UNC ARRESTED:

Molly has blogged previously on the sit-in at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. On day 16 of this protest to pressure the University Administration to sign the Designated Suppliers Program, the administration has chosen to call in the police and have the students arrested. This is the appeal from these students for solidarity.

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UNC Arrests Student Protestors! Demand That Charges Be Dropped!

After a 16 day sit-in, the University of North Carolina has chosen to arrest students rather than adopt the Designated Suppliers Program. Call, email, and fax Chancellor Moeser today demanding that UNC drop all charges and adopt the DSP! Chancellor Moeser: (919) 962-1365: Hello, my name is _______ and I am a _______ from _____. I am shocked that, instead of listening to students demands, you have chosen instead to have them arrested. UNC needs to act as a leader on this issue by adopting the DSP and dropping all charges against students. Thank you.

To read more, join this campaign and send the following letter go to THIS LINK:
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s): Chancellor, UNC-Chapel Hill James Moeser UNC Chancellor James Moeser
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Adopt the DSP and drop all charges
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I am extremely disappointed to hear that your administration has resorted to arresting students for standing up for the rights of workers. UNC Chapel Hill, as one of the leading institutions of higher education in the world, has an obligation to set an example for the rest of the university community to follow. By choosing to arrest students for taking a principled stand on an issue that, to be quite honest, the university ought to have resolved long ago, UNC Chapel Hill is sending the message that they will stop at nothing, even if it means resorting to police intimidation, to silence the voices of its students.

I would strongly urge you, for your own sake, to ensure that all charges are dropped, and that there is no further action taken against any of the students in question. The community at large takes these actions to be a direct assault on our most basic right to free speech, and will not stand idly by while the university punishes students for doing what is right.

In addition, I would urge your university to take its own students seriously. Their demand that UNC Chapel support workers' rights and sign on to the Designated Suppliers Program, has a wide range of support throughout the entire university community. Your university has an obligation not just to these students but, more importantly, to the workers producing your university apparel, to support those who are struggling to better their own working conditions. Your students have presented you with an opportunity to be a leader in the struggle for workers' rights, and I would urge you to take it.
Sincerely,