Australian students join pro-Palestinian campus protests

Demonstrators have been camping out at the Monash University Clayton Campus over the past week, demanding transparency and divestment from the university over its alleged ties to Israel's weapon manufacturers and end "ethnic cleansing" in Gaza.

The movement aims to expose what they believe is "dirty money" being used for research and direct support to Israel amidst ongoing conflict and a high death toll in Palestine.

"We want Monash University to disclose all ties that it has to Israel and weapons manufacturing. They're very hidden and trying to keep this kind of secret from us, because it's dirty money. It's our money that's being used to research weapons manufacturing and actually goes directly to Israel. So we want the university to disclose all ties and then divest from those ties and also take a stand against the government who is complicit, but also actively, economically, and diplomatically supporting Israel right now, while a genocide is happening and over 35,000 Palestinians are dead, including over 15,000 children. So, I think there's a lot that Monash University needs to do. And that's why we're out here today. Thousands of people have been reaching out to us on social media, donating just an excess of food. It's been quite impressive and inspiring to have this much solidarity from the community," said Amiriya Dorian, a student.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have rocked college campuses in the United States are now gaining traction across the world, from London to Paris, Rome, Melbourne and beyond. Many students in Australia said they took a lot of inspiration from the encampment that started up in the United States.

"There's been a huge and incredible movement in America and now spreading around the world, including to Australia, of university students fighting back and saying we're not going to accept that our higher educational institutions are complicit in this genocide. We've erected this monument here to show that we're not going to be deterred, that we are going to keep standing up for Palestine and keep protesting and this encampment going to continue," said Luka Kieinan, another student.

"So, I'm here today, joining a worldwide student movement. I'm against the occupation, against the genocide. And we're calling on more people to get involved. So, to begin with, we're occupying the university campus, as you can see behind me, we've got tents set up, we've got a whole lawn with lots of chairs, we have a kitchen, and so on. Throughout the week, we're going to be holding different protests, where we are going to be marching around campus trying to bring more students in, and we're also engaging in protests across Melbourne as a part of the camp. So, we're going to be going protesting and picketing weapons companies, as well as student strikes in the city," said Connor Knight, another student.

Dominique Amad-Corson, another student, shed light on the specific targets of their protests.

"There are so many protests happening in different events surrounding pro-Palestine movements at the moment. So, we know they currently do have ties with Tel Aviv University as well as some weapons manufacturers as well, which they support the research for those companies. We are going to be picketing and protesting some local arms manufacturers in the area. So, there is one that is about 20 minutes down from our university campus here at Monash that helps to build and manufacture weapon parts to the F-35 fighter jets which are currently used by the Israeli military. So, we are going to be going there to help shut it down," she said.

Australian students join pro-Palestinian campus protests

Australian students join pro-Palestinian campus protests

The depreciation of Japanese yen has caused an old coffee shop in Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture of Japan to suffer rising financial strain due to surging import costs.

The coffee shop, with a 50-year history, is facing fund squeeze. The owner, 82-year-olld Hajime Yoneyama said that the depreciation has led to increased prices for imported raw materials, particularly coffee beans sourced mainly from Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia, resulting in a 20 percent surge in purchase costs.

"The purchase price (of coffee beans) has increased by 20 percent. I feel that the prices of vegetables and oil have also increased by at least 20 percent. Now the prices of these things continue to rise, with no sign of stopping. The expenditure situation of the store may become more severe in the future," said him.

Yoneyama said that he had to raise the prices to sustain the coffee shop's operation.

"Recently we had to raise the price. Previously, a cup of coffee cost 500 yen. It's no longer sustainable (without price increases) and now it's up to 600 yen," said the owner.

Furthermore, in an effort to cut costs, the elderly Yoneyama works with just one employee, yet the store business kept crippling. He said that a significant portion of his pension funds is used to cover store expenses and employee wages.

Locals worry that if the weak yen trend persists, the pressure on livelihoods will further intensify.

"The prices of everything are increasing, food, drink, vegetables. It would be great if there was a solution. Medical supplies are also an issue that needs to be considered. I do worry about what the future will bring," said a local resident.

"Not only are labor costs rising, but gas costs are also rising, so operators need to cut expenses, such as advertising expenses, and the work that they originally paid to hire people to do may now be borne entirely by the operators themselves," said another resident.

Japan’s time-honored coffee shop face fund squeeze due to weakening yen