Rutgers students protest Israeli soldiers on campus
New Brunswick, NJ – On Friday, March 28, Rutgers Students for a Democratic Society led dozens of students in protest of a speaking event hosted by two Israeli soldiers. The event was protesting a nationwide tour intended to justify and celebrate the soldiers' war crimes and participation in the genocide of the Palestinian people. Students for Justice in Palestine, along with other local organizations, co-sponsored the protest.
Students rallied outside the College Avenue Gym, across the street from where the event was being held. After chants of “Free, free Palestine!” and “IOF deserves no rest, they bomb schools and kill the press!” they took to the streets, marching across campus.
During the protest, students faced intimidation attempts from university police and pro-Israel counter protesters. The original protest location, the gym lawn, was fenced off by police, so students took over the sidewalk instead. Several activists were also recorded and later posted on the social media accounts of Zionist hate organizations like Betar and Students Supporting Israel.
The march ended in front of the Helix tower, a construction site that is planned upon its completion to host operations for Tel Aviv University. An activist from NJ BURN spoke out against New Brunswick and Rutgers’ partnerships with the university, declaring, “That is gonna be a satellite campus for Tel Aviv University. The same university in Israel that is streamlining genocidal technology to maim and kill Palestinians!”
Rutgers SDS ended the protest with a commitment to future action, “We’re not done!” an SDS member told the crowd. “We’re gonna be back! Week after week, month after month, year after year, we will fight!”
Allowing Zionist soldiers on campus is just one of the many ways Rutgers supports Israel. Despite facing overwhelming support for divestment, the university has refused to comply with the demands of the students. Rutgers also continues to defend its partnership with Tel Aviv University, with President Johnathon Holloway saying last April, “We were asked to sever that relationship. We will not. Period.”