By Jared Ware / Prism
As the genocidal retaliation to Operation Al Aqsa Flood unfolds in the form of a brutal siege against the entire population of Gaza, protest has taken place across the globe in the form of mass marches, demonstrations, vigils, direct actions, and armed resistance. In the U.S., student organizing has been central to many of the mobilizations and demonstrations calling for a ceasefire, mourning the mounting numbers of Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes and U.S.-funded missiles and bombs, and generally standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom and sovereignty.
Many college students who have stood boldly against genocide and in solidarity with Palestinians say they have been doxxed, demonized, targeted, fired, and had their advocacy equated with support for terrorism by colleges and universities, employers, Zionist organizations, and politicians at different levels of government.
“At the end of the day we understand these things as scare tactics,” said Stephen Hamad, a student organizer and representative of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Hamad is using a pseudonym to protect his identity amid this heightened climate of repression. “I think there’s particularly a reason why they focus so much of this repression on the student movement. And that in our eyes is because they understand the student movement as being a significant material threat to the Zionist entity and to the entities that are currently supporting this ongoing genocide.”
Hamad’s SJP chapter has been under intense scrutiny by his school, local media, and other external groups in recent weeks. The university president responded to their recent vigil for Palestinian martyrs in a statement saying that she “abhor[s] the celebration of terrorism and attempts to perpetuate rhetoric or imagery that glorifies acts of violence.”
Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement 
You must be logged in to post a comment.