London, July 2010

Dear Ayesha Kidwai, Gargi Sen and Mohan Rao

I am writing to you on behalf of BRICUP, the British Committee for the Universities of Palestine, to offer our congratulations and support for your initiative in launching an Indian chapter of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.

As you may know, BRICUP was established in 2004 in response to the PACBI call, and has been campaigning to establish support for the academic boycott within the UK university teachers union UCU, and among the British academic community more generally. We have made significant progress, and along the way we have spread the message of Israelx92s illegal occupation and inhumane practices. BRICUP has also been very active in persuading cultural figures to observe and come out in favour of boycott. In fact the campaign to persuade Amitav Ghosh not to go to Tel Aviv to accept the Dan David prize started, we like to think, with a BRICUP Open Letter to him. More information on BRICUP is at www.bricup.org.uk

We particularly welcome your statement that you stand in x91firm and relentless opposition to Indiax92s strategic, scientific, military, and economic relations with Israelx92. In view of the fact that these relations are growing and deepening with every day that passes, we wish you every success in identifying specific areas and campaigning, as you say, to end the links. Research collaboration with Israeli universities is a feature not just of the British academic scene, but across Europe, and wex92re sure there are many similar instances of Indian-Israeli collaboration. At a micro level, BRICUP has been able to campaign successfully against Israeli Days of Science at various UK institutions, and achieve good publicity for the issues (see for instance).

As you no doubt know, there are now functioning academic boycott organisations in France, the United States, Australia, Italy and Catalunya, but yours is the first that specifically invokes a history of anti-colonial struggle and solidarity x96 a spirit we wholeheartedly endorse. The purpose of this message is to say that we hope you will regard us as a potential source of support, if there is any way you think we can help.

With our best wishes

Jonathan Rosenhead (Emeritus Professor, London School of Economics)

For BRICUP