Arlington, TX – The University of Texas at Arlington’s newly-formed Students for Democratic Society (SDS) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) held a Solidarity March for Palestine at the campus, Sept. 4, to bring attention to the Israeli genocide in Gaza and the whole of Palestine. About 50 people participated.

The presidents of SDS, SJP and special invitee Pastor Craig Hunter addressed the crowd before the march.

Jenny Nguyen, president of SDS, said the motivation behind the march was to protest Israeli war crimes in Palestine, and concluded by saying, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be 100% free!” Nguyen then introduced the president of newly-formed SJP Chapter, Abraham Assi, who spoke about their plans for the future.

Pastor Craig Hunter explained that he had visited occupied Palestine many times in the past 20 years. He noted that in the city of Bethlehem, many places where he used to hang out and dance with friends have been closed down due to being on the “wrong side” of the apartheid wall Israel has built. Hunter said the view that the problem is not Judaism, or “good people and bad people,” but the injustice perpetrated by Israel.

Hunter also discussed the Presbyterian Church in America’s divestment from Hewlett Packard, Caterpillar and Motorola due to those companies’ business ties with Israel, making it one of the largest American churches to divest. He pointed out it is important to push U.S. politicians to stop aiding Israel because “they won’t do it otherwise.”

After the speeches, the march began, participants chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” “Ben Netanyahu can’t you see? Palestine will be free!” “Obama, Obama, can’t you see? Israel keeps on bombing me!”

The march was the largest pro-Palestine event at The University of Texas at Arlington in recent times. Organizers promise that there will be many more to come.

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