Washington, D.C. – Activists at George Washington University (GWU) gathered 100 students on Saturday, February 3 to protest the University's ongoing repression of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

Their recurring chant heard from blocks away, was a clear demand to the GWU administration, “We will not rest, until you divest!”

Saturday's protest was one of several hosted by campus organizations since November, when George Washington University banned SJP from on-campus activities for 90 days. GWU originally claimed the ban under the premise of students breaching a “digital projection” policy, and eventually shifted to calling SJP's protests “harmful activities.” The group was then put on probation until the end of the school year. Meanwhile, other campus organizations were warned of similar consequences and investigations should they join the on-campus Student Coalition for Palestine, a group formed in the wake of SJP’s repression.

The response was clear: speakers from a myriad of campus organizations, including the Armenian Student Movement and “Undocumented”, as well as off-campus groups like the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), voiced their collective disapproval of the GWU administration’s actions.

A growing number of activist groups are calling for an end to the ban on SJP’s activities. They are also demanding the university divest from its various connections to the Zionist entity, Israel. These include weapons sales and partnerships with weapon manufacturers like General Dynamics, as well as direct donations to and public support of Israel.

“We’ve been out here for weeks, months, since October 7, demanding that GWU divest,” said Youssef, one of the lead organizers for the Student Coalition for Palestine, “and we gathered here today to let our administration know that we will not back down from this challenge.”

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