Fight Back News Service is circulating the following October 5 statement by LSU Students for a Democratic Society.

On Wednesday, October 1st, LSU Students for a Democratic Society attended the second meeting of the LSU Presidential Search Committee to protest the corrupt and undemocratic presidential search process. Several SDS members gave public comments to voice their concerns and demands to the committee. After going over her allotted time by a mere 10 seconds, Gabriela Juarez was violently dragged out of the building by LSU PD officers Thomas Schiebe and Dayton Landry without warning, resulting in extensive bruising. LSU’s Todd Woodward stated that she was given lawful orders, but this was a lie. She was then arrested and placed in a police car.

New York, NY – The National Security Agency (NSA) was set to participate in an upcoming career fair at NYU on October 8. Their participation prompted the NYU Students for a Democratic Society to launch an initiative to have them removed from the fair.

Tampa, FL – On October 6, around 30 students and local residents gathered in a rally on the corner of 56th Street and Fowler Avenue to commemorate the two years that have passed since October 7 and the escalation of the genocide of Palestinians.

Allendale, MI – On Tuesday, October 7, the Grand Valley State University Progressive Student Union held a rally on campus to stand with the Palestinian people. After two years of genocide by Israel, and two years of bold resistance by the Palestinian people, students came together to hear speeches and give chants in solidarity with Palestine.

Chicago, IL – On Tuesday, October 7, 75 student and community activists gathered at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Quad to speak out against the ongoing genocide in Gaza, call out UIC’s administration’s complicity, and demand the full liberation of Palestine – from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

Detroit, MI – On October 7, around 50 students and community members walked out of class and their jobs in protest of two years of genocide in Gaza. Wayne State Students for Justice in Palestine, Students for a Democratic Society, Detroit Anti-War Committee, and several other organizations gathered on Gullen Mall to show that Detroit continues to stand with Palestine, the right of Palestinians to resist occupation, and to demand an end to Israel’s slaughter.

Chicago, IL- On Friday, October 3, around 65 students gathered on campus outside of University Hall at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) to attend an emergency protest led by New Students for Democratic Society at UIC (New SDS at UIC), to oppose the attacks against immigrant and oppressed nationality communities.

Chicago, IL – On October 2, 60 protesters disrupted Union Station to take a militant stand against the U.S./Israeli genocide of Palestinians. Momentum was high after the illegal kidnappings of 497 activists of the Global Sumud Freedom Flotilla from 44 countries. This is the first time since 2009 that a boat has made it into Palestinian waters and broken Israel’s siege of Gaza.

The emergency action was led by Students for Justice in Palestine-Chicago (SJP Chicago) and successfully disrupted traffic as well as people trying to leave and enter the Amtrak station.

Baton Rouge, LA – On October 1, Louisiana State University Students for a Democratic Society (LSU SDS) gathered to protest the LSU presidential search committee. Students rallied outside the LSU Foundation Building and then gave public comments at the committee meeting inside.

The students were attending the presidential search committee meeting to protest the undemocratic nature of the process and the overbearing influence Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry holds over LSU.

Austin, TX – On October 2, about 25 students gathered on UT’s South Lawn for a vigil in commemoration of the families who have been torn apart by ICE in Trump’s mass deportation campaign. The vigil was organized by the Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in order to stand in solidarity with the 200,000-plus people who have been deported since Trump was inaugurated in January of this year.

Allendale, MI – The Progressive Student Union at Grand Valley State University held a teach-in event on Queer and Trans liberation on Monday, September 29. Despite attempts by the GVSU administration and the Office of Student Life to prevent the students from gathering by demanding $380 out of the students to use a room on campus, the PSU successfully held the event in the Arboretum outdoor park space on campus without disruption.

Tallahassee, FL – Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, the state’s only public HBCU, has expelled a prominent student organizer and community leader for protesting the university’s new MAGA-backed president.

Elijah Hooks, a political science student on the cusp of graduation, organized a rally on May 14 to oppose the appointment of Marva Johnson as FAMU’s next president. Johnson is an ally of far-right Governor Ron DeSantis with no experience in higher education.

Allendale, MI – The Sultry Xi Nu chapter of the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority organized a vigil on the evening of Monday, September 22, at Grand Valley State University to honor the life of Demartravion “Trey” Reed, a young Black man who was found deceased on the campus of Delta State University in Mississippi last Monday. The rally was organized in partnership with the GVSU Pan-Hellenic Council and the Progressive Student Union.

Allendale, MI – The Progressive Student Union at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) led a march on Monday, September 22, demanding that the GVSU board of trustees pass a sanctuary campus policy to protect international and immigrant students from deportations.

GVSU has a large population of international students. In April, four international students had their visas revoked by the federal government, before being reinstated in August.

San José, CA – On Wednesday, September 17, San Jose State University students gathered outside an ongoing career fair for STEM undergraduate students, for a noon protest against SJSU’s ties with Lockheed Martin.

Chicago, IL – On Saturday, September 13, 60 students and youth from across Chicago met at Chicago Teachers Union Hall for the Progressive Student Conference. This conference brought together young Chicago activists to discuss their strategies for fighting the reactionary Trump agenda.

San Jose, CA – On August 28, about 30 students gathered in front of the historic Smith and Carlos Statues at San Jose State University students for a “disorientation tour.” On the disorientation tour, new students were able to hear from experienced campus organizers about the university administration's complicity in the genocide against Palestine and inaction under the Trump presidency.

San Jose, CA – On September 10, San Jose Students for a Democratic Society alongside various other SJSU students held a silent protest outside a career fair where Lockheed Martin, notorious weapons manufacturer and supporter of the Gaza genocide, had a table.

New York, NY – On September 10, NYU students joined a rally led by the NYU Students for a Democratic Society, with the endorsement of over a dozen university organizations, to demand that NYU end its compliance with the Trump administration’s attacks.