In a radical act of solidarity with the Palestinian people, university students across the country have escalated the struggles on their campuses with the campus encampment movement. At Emory University in Atlanta, students, faculty and community members created one such encampment demanding for the immediate and total divestment from the Israeli apartheid state. The Atlanta Police Department and Georgia State Patrol were called to the encampment by the Emory administration where they brutalized, beat and arrested dozens of protesters.

Tampa, FL – Protesters converged in solidarity with the struggle in Gaza to denounce Joe Biden’s visit to the Hillsborough Community College Dale Mabry campus on April 23. Nearly 400 protesters thronged the sidewalks surrounding the entrance, chanting and waving Palestinian flags.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by the New Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

While standing in solidarity with Palestine, the student movement has once again escalated protests on campus with the campus encampment movement. Students are calling out their universities and its administrators for their decades’ long support of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians and are demanding that our universities divest and cut all ties to Israel! University administrators have no right to ignore the students as university administrators continue to support the genocide in Gaza and maintain support for Israel.

Tampa, FL- Over 20 students at the University of South Florida marched April 18 to demand no U.S. attacks on Iran and an end to U.S. aid to Israel.

Tampa Bay SDS organized this protest and march as part of a National Day of Action called by National SDS in response to the April 1 Israeli bombing of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Damascus, Syria. Students marched from the library to the student center to show their support for Palestine and for the solidarity that Iran has shown towards Palestine.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from University of Central Florida Students for a Democratic Society.

On April 1 , UCF Students for a Democratic Society was informed that the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity was moving forward with charging one of its members with several violations of student conduct in addition to filing legal charges for criminal mischief, in response to pro-Palestine activism.

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, April 15, the Free Palestine Coalition led a protest of around 100 people outside of Education Minnesota’s Representative Convention. Education Minnesota (EDMN) is a large state-level educators union that announced only the day before that they would be delaying their entire program to host the opening event of First Lady Dr .Jill Biden’s “Educators for Biden-Harris” national tour.

Minneapolis, MN – On April 20, on a brisk spring afternoon, over 350 pro-Palestine demonstrators rallied at Bryant Square Park in the Minneapolis Uptown neighborhood for the first large scale march initiated by the Minnesota chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and the Arab Student Association at the U of MN.

Chicago, IL – The Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention (DNC) met in Chicago the weekend of April 13. Speaker after speaker testified with fire in their eyes about the need to march against the genocide in Gaza. Along with the speeches, people got down to the tasks needed to bring tens of thousands to Chicago in August to protest the DNC.

The 450 in attendance were overwhelmingly youth. Many are brand new to protest movements, having been thrown into motion by the anti-war and Palestine solidarity movement.

Tacoma, WA – On April 14, in Tollefson Plaza, approximately 30 protesters gathered in Tacoma to demand “U.S hands off Iran” at a rally called for by several Students for a Democratic Society chapters (SDS).

Minneapolis, MN – On Wednesday, April 17, dozens of students and community members gathered on the University of Minnesota campus to rally against war with Iran. On Saturday, April 13, Iran launched a series of attacks on Israel in retaliation for the recent Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria.

On March 27, 2024, in a blatant violation of free speech, Meta removed the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s national Facebook page and restricted the national FRSO Instagram account. Meta’s actions are a direct attempt to silence FRSO’s vocal support of the Palestinian cause in general and of Palestinian women in particular.

On April 17, The bi-partisan House Education Committee held a congressional hearing focused on Columbia University’s response to alleged antisemitism on campus. This hearing is part of a larger investigation into universities in the wake of widespread pro-Palestinian protests nationwide.

St. Paul, MN – On April 12, at the weekly Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) protest for Palestine, 100 people the people of Gaza who have endured over 189 days of relentless, U.S.-funded and backed Israeli attacks.

Portland, OR – On April 13, Oregon Democrats arrived in Portland for the annual Wayne Morse Gala, Oregon’s largest democratic fundraising event of the year. When representatives arrived at the Hilton Hotel, they were met with a group of 50 protesters demanding Oregon Democrats stop funding the genocide of Palestinians.

Tallahassee, FL – On Friday, April 12, students at Florida State University joined Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society to demand that the university divest from apartheid Israel, including ending its partnership with infamous weapons manufacturer Boeing, which arms the Israeli occupation.

Chicago, IL – More than 450 people representing 75 organizations gathered in Chicago, April 13, to plan a massive march at the Democratic National Convention, which will stand with Palestine and promote a people’s agenda.

Kobi Guillory of the National Alliance Against Racist and Pollical Repression told conference participants, “We will counterprotest the DNC starting on August 19 to demand an immediate end to the U.S.-backed Israeli genocide, and that no more of our tax dollars are used to fund the massacres of Palestinians.” Guillory also talked about the fight to get permits for a large-family friendly protest, but said that organizers were going to march to within sight and sound of the convention, permits or not.

The U.S. and its proxy Israel are provoking a wider war in the Middle East. For the past 6 months, the U.S. has been assisting Israel in the Gaza genocide. Israel and the U.S. have launched repeated attacks on Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. Iran is now responding to the deadly Israeli airstrikes on its diplomatic mission in Syria. The possibility of a wider war is here. A response by our movement is needed. All of us who stand with Palestine and oppose the genocide, who insist on peace with justice, need to be ready to hit the streets. We need to add “Hands off Iran!” to our list of demands.

Orlando, Fl – On April 4, over 25 students gathered at the University of Central Florida to participate in a vigil honoring Hind Rajab and the many other martyred children of Palestine.

Gresham, OR – On April 9, PDX for Palestine staged a demonstration, effectively blocking access to Boeing, a major weapons manufacturer. They voiced their demand for an immediate end to U.S. aid to Israel.

“Boeing has directly contributed to the death of Palestinians and the destruction of Palestine by supplying bombs since and long before October 7,” stated Kacey DeSantis, a member of PDX for Palestine.

Dallas, TX – On the last Friday of Ramadan, April 5, the Muslim Congress organized a protest for Al-Quds Day. The demonstration was held in collaboration with organizations such as Palestinian Youth Movement, CAIR Texas, Jewish Voice for Peace DFW, DFW Anti-War Committee and many others.