Pro-Palestinian students are protesting against Israeli-Australian cooperation

Pro-Palestinian students on Monday protested on the University of Western Sydney (WSU) in Sydney in protest of a research cooperation between the university and the Israeli startup company Syqe Medical. During the demonstration, which began to organize on social networks (mainly in Instagram groups: WSU4PALESTINE; Teachers4palestine_nsW; WSU4PALESTINE COLLECTIVE) Over the past weekend, dozens of students against the university, against Saiki Medical and against the State of Israel.

The protesters called on the university to stop cooperation with Israeli society, which they claim “helps IDF soldiers sleep better at night.” Shame! “The protesters claimed, who defined themselves as anti-Israelis and anti-Zionists.

The new research agreement

Saiki Medical, founded by entrepreneur Perry Davidson, has developed a medical cannabis inhaler that helps deal with PTSD and chronic pain. Over the past week, the company has signed a research cooperation agreement with the University of Western Sydney to examine the effectiveness of medical cannabis in the treatment of neuropathic diabetes. The company has developed an ambition technology to provide an accurate and consistent dose of THC, the active material in the medical cannabis, which allows for smoking damage. The exact doses in the inhaler reduce pain intensity while avoiding the intoxicating side effects of cannabis, which improves daily functioning and the safety of patient use. According to student claims, the fact that Saiki signed an agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Defense, under which the IDF’s entitled to medical cannabis receives full subsidy on the inhaler, makes the company a “partner in the IDF’s crimes in Gaza.”

Comments for an event

The University of Sydney, who feared the demonstrations, issued a message in advance to the relevant faculty people not to come to campus at noon. In an official response, WSU University stated that the study “stands in all ethical, regulatory and legal requirements” and that the university’s role “is limited to recruiting participants in Australia as part of an international study.” The university emphasized that “there are no sanctions against Saiki Medical” and that “the study has the potential to improve the quality of life of millions of people, living in Australia, and around the world suffering from neuropathic pain associated with diabetes.” In addition, the university emphasized its commitment to the principles of academic freedom and declares that it will continue to support its researchers in these essential research, depending on the broader mission of knowledge promotion and improving public health results.

Hagit Kamin, CEO of Syqeair, who are responsible for the development of the inhaler), also responded to demonstrations: “We are proud of the cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and continue to work to treat the IDF with a post -trauma and chronic pain with the unique inhalers of cannabis. In a neuropathic diabetes and we welcome the collaboration with the University of WSU, which sees the importance of our work and chooses, despite the anti -Semitic reactions, to act in public health partnerships, in Israel and in Australia together. ”