Tacoma, WA – Hundreds of students rallied at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma on November 22, to condemn Donald Trump’s win in the presidential election and demand justice for Palestine. Protesters headed to the entrance of the school, where campus tours were being held. Students and community members voiced their anger and demanded justice.

Students at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma have been fighting repression after taking a stand and demanding divestment from Israel. The university has been making threats, including use of police escalation, in an attempt to silence the voices of students.

In regards to Trump winning the election, Fletcher Crone told the crowd, “I think it is very scary for a lot of people, and rightfully so, but based on the messaging today, seeing everyone coming together in community, and just seeing a lot of optimism from people, and a lot of encouraging messages from people, like all over campus, all over Tacoma, on social media, I think people are going to stand up and not take this Trump presidency. People are going to fight back!”

After over a year of fighting the school’s reactionary and cruel stance on the Palestinian genocide, the students of North End Tacoma Students for a Democratic Society (NET SDS) have made wins for the people’s movement and Palestine.

After kicking Zionist-supporting U.S. Congressman Derek Kilmer off campus in February, they have faced repression in the form of surveillance and punitive measures imposed on them by the school’s administration. Nevertheless, their unwavering support for Palestine continues. Currently, they are fighting to improve the organizing conditions on campus by garnering support against the repressive student conduct code, which targets any form of campus organizing.

Miles Cruger, stated, “Right now, I can feel the energy in the air! Not just here, but in every god damn moment we are living through. And that’s been something I’ve been thinking about a lot. In the future, if I have children, what am I gonna tell them? What was I doing when this happened? When the climate crisis happened, what was I doing? And that’s something we all need to ask ourselves, what are we gonna tell the next generation about this moment, today?”

The students are rightfully angry and ready to fight back. Trump’s win adds nothing but fuel to the fire of the students at UPS. We’ve fought under Trump before, and we are uniting against him and the scum in his administration. The rally was electric with unity and revolutionary optimism, promising more wins in the future.

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