Tallahassee, FL – On September 12, in the face of threats from their university administration, more than 15 students at Florida State University gathered to defy this blatant political repression and to reaffirm their commitment to the struggle for Palestinian liberation. Led by Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the students demanded that FSU divest from war profiteers who fund the genocide in Palestine and made it clear that this new wave of reactionary attacks against the student movement will never silence the voice of a generation. The students were joined by members of community organizations, and their speeches were heard by hundreds of rally attendees and passersby.

Speakers stressed the humanitarian crisis which the Zionist entity has created in Palestine, and the role FSU plays in it. Despite students demanding divestment, FSU’s engineering school remains partnered with Boeing, a notorious arms manufacturer who builds weapons of war for the Israeli apartheid state. “Don’t forget that this campus supports [the genocidal Israeli] regime with its financial and academic resources, directing graduates to build bombs for Boeing,” an SDS member told listeners.

After arresting five pro-Palestinian protestors in Spring, FSU is attempting to silence all activism on campus, banning SDS from holding events on campus and threatening student organizers with expulsion and legal action.

“Instead of listening to us, instead of giving any room for meaningful dialogue, they suppress free speech. They don’t let us flyer! They don’t let us use amplified sound! They wanna kick us off this campus! They want it so our presence isn’t known,” said Freedom Road Socialist Organization member Joelle Nuñez. “And why does the university do this, why now? Because they’re afraid! They’re afraid of how this looks on them! They’re afraid that we’re exposing their genocide!”

“It’s not right that educational institutions like FSU try to suppress our right to protest against these injustices. There are plaques right outside [the HCB building] honoring the protests against the Vietnam war – yet peaceful protests calling for safety in Palestine are disrupted by arrests and counter-protestors,” said a member of the Kabataan Alliance, a Filipino advocacy organization. “How can we truly learn to be better if FSU stifles efforts like this, if FSU continues to fund the genocide in Palestine, where the total decimation of the country has prevented about 600,000 students from returning to school?”

Despite the University’s attempts to break their spirit, the student movement lives on in Tallahassee. To stay updated about future events, visit @tallysds on Instagram.

The rally was supported by Tallahassee SDS, the Kabataan Alliance, Food Not Bombs, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC).

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