Minneapolis, MN – On September 26, 200 protesters demonstrated to demand an end to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and Gaza. The protest started with a lot of energy as Students for Justice in Palestine marched from the University Minnesota Student Union and across the Mississippi River to the West Bank campus to join the community solidarity action. Protesters filled the plaza in front of Mayday Books to chant and wave Palestinian and Lebanese flags. The emergency action was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee as a part of a wave of protests nationally in solidarity with Lebanon.

On September 17-18, Israel detonated thousands of communication devices in Lebanon. This act indiscriminately killed and wounded civilians, including many children. It ran against all war conventions and was unprecedented in cruelty. This week, Israeli airstrikes have killed over 600, including at least 50 children, wounding 1800 and displacing hundreds of thousands.

Anna Madison, a member of the newly-formed Families Against Military Madness, was the first speaker and addressed the recent attacks, “There is nine-year-old Fatima and 11-year-old Bilal who were murdered by Israel using exploding pagers. There are the 50 children murdered earlier this week during the single deadliest day in Lebanon in decades. The reality is I could spend hours listing the dates and times that Israel murders children with impunity. We can talk about 1978, 1982, 1993, 2006, 2024. I can no longer keep track because every time I look at my phone, I see that more children have been murdered. This cannot be normalized. And look, I’m saying this knowing full well that this country doesn’t care about terrorizing and murdering children.”

Israel’s violence in Lebanon has a long history. In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon, triggering a large-scale conflict that killed tens of thousands. After occupying nearly 10% of Lebanon's territory, Israel withdrew in 2000 from its “security zone” following years of Lebanese resistance. Israel attempted another invasion of Lebanon in 2006 but quickly withdrew, killing hundreds in the process.

Many speakers showed solidarity with both Palestine and Lebanon as well as support for resistance to Israel. Lina Jebara, a Lebanese American member of the MN Anti-War Committee, told the crowd, “The struggle against U.S. imperialism and Zionist occupation in the Middle East has never been a struggle belonging to a single nation.”

Jebara continued, “Ironically, and inevitably, Israel’s attempts to turn the Lebanese people against the resistance through unabashed acts of terrorism has failed tremendously. The defiance in the face of brutal occupation has continued to shine effervescently among the resistance, and among the civilians of those countries continuing to resist, united in their cause, now, more than ever before.”

Mick Kelly, the political secretary of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, has traveled to Lebanon and addressed the crowd, “We know for a fact that the Zionists cannot win. And we also know for a fact that the Lebanese resistance is powerful, and it is strong, and it is determined. Hezbollah has at the top of its agenda the liberation of Palestine and the defense of Lebanon.”

Kelly continued, “In Washington DC there’s a group of politicians in the White House and Pentagon who are facilitating a genocide. It is something we cannot and will not ever accept! We absolutely will not rest while it’s taking place.”

Other speakers included Jae Yates from Twin Cities Coalition for Justice and Mnar Adly, the Palestinian American editor of Mint Press News.

The closing speech was from Shahd Abouhekel, an organizer from Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Minnesota, who told the crowd that the students would continue to fight for Palestine and for Lebanon regardless of the repression from U of MN administration.

Wyatt Miller from the Anti-War Committee closed out the protest by encouraging everyone to come out on October 6 to march a year of resistance to genocide at the Free Palestine Coalition march, which will start at 1:30 p.m. at Hennepin and Washington Avenues in downtown Minneapolis.

#MinneapolisMN #Lebanon #StudentsforJusticeinPalestine #FamiliesAgainstMilitaryMadness #AntiWarCommittee

The protest began with speakers, most of whom were Palestinian-American students. They spoke out despite fear of doxxing and retaliation by the school, faculty members or others. Organizers provided surgical masks for protesters who wished to avoid being identified. The only official university presence was the SJSU police.

The major theme throughout the speeches was the ongoing genocide, occupation and human rights abuses that Zionists have been enacting upon the Palestinian people for over 75 years. Some students raised feeling unheard and unsupported by SJSU administration, and unsafe on campus. The previous day, several members of the university administration attended the “Vigil for the Victims of Terrorism against Israel” that was organized by the SJSU Jewish Faculty and Staff Association.

After the speeches, protesters began marching through campus, chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”

They also chanted, “When people are occupied, resistance is justified” and “Intifada, intifada, long live the intifada.” Several students expressed their support as the march passed by them.

They marched back to the starting place, for another round of chanting. Organizers ended the rally by announcing another upcoming protest for Palestine happening in San Jose on Sunday, October 15 at 1 p.m. at the corner of Stevens Creek and Winchester Boulevards.

#SanJoseCA #SJSU #StudentsforJusticeinPalestine

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, May 21, Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Minnesota held a protest calling for university divestment from companies funding the Israeli apartheid.

Over 150 students and community members rallied at the Memorial Union, where speakers voiced their anger with the university administration for complicity with the genocide against Palestinians and its giving support to Zionist student groups. Additionally, students condemned the administration’s lack of action following the passage of two separate referendums in campus elections: one in 2018 calling for divestment from companies funding Israel and one in 2021 calling for full disclosure of university investments.

Speaking on the intersection of the call for police accountability on campus and the university’s support of companies that fund both Israel and the Line 3 pipeline, Nadia Shaarawi of Students for a Democratic Society said, “When we say ACAB [all cops are bastards], we mean the police, we mean the UMPD, but we also mean the Israeli Defense Forces.”

Students and community members marched down Washington Avenue proudly waving Palestinian flags to send a message to administration that the student body will not stand by and allow their tuition money to be used to fuel a genocide.

The event was sponsored by over ten other groups including Students for a Democratic Society, American Muslims for Palestine, Jewish Voices for Peace, and the Anti-War Committee.

#MinneapolisMN #StudentMovement #Palestine #Divestment #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine

Minneapolis, MN – 150 people rallied at the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis, Dec. 18, to oppose Trump’s announcement naming Jerusalem the capital of Israel. The protest was organized by Palestinian youth, including Students for Justice in Palestine-UMN. The call for Palestinian liberation was clearly the central theme of the event with loud chants of “Free, free Palestine” being heard throughout of the protest.

#MinneapolisMN #Palestine #Jerusalem #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #MiddleEast

New York, NY – On the evening of Dec. 10, approximately 70 activists gathered at the Philippine Consulate on 5th Avenue to protest the regime of President Duterte and to demand an end to its state-sanctioned mass killings.

The rally was held on International Human Rights Day, a time to remember and reinforce the need for democracy and human rights, and to highlight the crimes against the people of the Philippines under the Duterte’s rule.

Since Rodrigo Duterte took power there has been a wave of human rights abuses. It began with the Drug Wars, which Duterte claimed was a way to cleanse the Philippines of crimes, but instead were used to murder over 13,000 civilians. Second, Duterte has reinstated martial law in Mindanao, hurting indigenous people. Most recently, Duterte forces have murdered militant fighters for democracy and named the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) as a terrorist organization.

The escalation of human rights abuses against people supporting the National Democratic movement began shortly after President Donald Trump’s visit.

The rally aimed to stand in solidarity with those fighting the Philippines, remember the struggles of those who died at the hands of repression, and wage forward in the fight for liberation. The event was organized by Bayan USA and was attended by members of a multitude of different organizations such as: Migrante, Gabriella NY, Anakbayan NY and NJ, NYC Students for Justice in Palestine, Committee to Stop FBI Repression – NY, and the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoners Solidarity Network.

In between speeches, the chants rang out from the people, including “No justice, no peace! No more war in the Philippines,” and “U.S. imperialist, number one terrorist!”

Organizers used a projector to shine slogans onto the walls of the consulate with phrases such as, “Fight against the fascist U.S.-Duterte regime” throughout the night’s event.

Mike Legaspi, from Bayan USA, closed the rally saying, “Rodrigo Duterte, like all the other puppet presidents, will be relegated to the garbage bin of history. It's been a little of a year since he's been president and when he came in, people of the Philippines were so optimistic. A lot of people who organize for the National Democratic movement were also optimistic because they thought he would bring an end to the decades long civil war through peace talks. He did initially open up peace talks with the National Democratic movement of the Philippines and the CPP, but he has recently cancelled these peace talks. Now Duterte and his military supporters have deemed the CPP as terrorist. But Duterte has gone beyond this and said that the legal democratic mass movement is also terrorist. That means that he's looking for terrorists when all he has to do is look in the mirror.”

#NewYorkNY #Philippines #CommunistPartyOfThePhilippines #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #SamidounPalestinianPrisonerSolidarityNetwork #RodrigoDuterte #Migrante #GabriellaNY #Anakyaban #Asia

St. Paul, MN – About 50 people rallied at the corner of Snelling and Summit Avenues in Saint Paul, Dec. 7, in response to Trump’s illegal plan to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. Many of those participating were from the local Palestinian community. Motorists honked to the loud and spirited chants including “Free, free Palestine” and “What is the capital of Palestine? Jerusalem.”

Kent Mori, a protest organizer said, “When U.S.-supported Israeli occupation increases injustice, violence and oppression, Palestinians resist from Gaza to the West Bank and everywhere from the river to the sea.” The rally was organized by Women Against Military Madness and the Anti-War Committee, and endorsed by Students for Justice in Palestine-UMN.

#SaintPaulMN #Palestine #AntiWarCommittee #WomenAgainstMilitaryMadness #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #MiddleEast

New York, NY – On Aug. 23, the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network and NYC Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) hosted a panel called “Frontlines of resistance: Bilal Kayed and the struggle for Palestine”, regarding the state of occupied Palestine and the fight that political prisoners are currently waging against their Israeli jailers.

Around 30 people gathered at the International Action Center to hear a panel of activists share their experience in the Palestinian solidarity movement.

Nerdeen Kiswani, from NYC SJP, began the event by giving a background of the state of the Palestinian solidarity movement in New York and the importance of demanding justice for Palestinian political prisoners. Kiswani introduced the first speaker, Joe Catron from the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network.

Catron, a longtime activist in New York, has been organizing diligently for the release of Bilal Kayed, a Palestinian political prisoner who has been on hunger strike for 70 days to protest his unfair detention. He began by reading a statement that Kayed wrote while at the Barzilai hospital:

“To the Palestinian masses, proud and steadfast

To those who reject everything but to stand for rights, homeland, glory and pride…

In my 70th day of the battle of pride, steadfastness and challenge in which we struggle together for the proud victory of Palestine and the movement of struggle and for every revolutionary victory in the project of the liberation of the land. I extend my words to be present with you on these stands of honor and freedom, hoping though in my last hours, the body may be absent and the mind fading, but the spirit is still holding fast to its decision, which cannot be deterred by any force in the world. Either victory or victory. Victory is near, God willing, and we raise the signs of victory always and forever….

And I, my mother, I will remain on my promise, and to my proud people, don’t drop the sign of victory, my mother, until I am victorious with you and for you, and together we will be the body and the bridge on which liberators and revolutionaries can cross…

The heights are our goal, and martyrdom in it is washing our sins and failures to elevate our homeland. A new stage of struggle that will be victorious when we protect its banner with honesty. Don’t drop the banner, “We return to resist, not to compromise,” as uttered by the martyr Abu Ali Mustafa, whose memory is now present among us.

Victory is inevitable.

Your brother,

Bilal Kayed

23 August 2016

Barzilai Hospital – Asqelan”

Catron finished by emphasizing the need to continue fighting and not stopping until justice is achieved.

One of the speakers, Leena from NYC SJP, had just visited Palestine this past summer to see her family. While on her trip, she ended up running into Kayed's family and was able to speak to them about his case and the fight to free him. During her speech she said, “In Palestine, Kayed's family has been very open about his involvement with the PFLP and how Israel is targeting him for defending his country. He refuses to take any of Israel's offers, such as going to Jordan for four years, and then maybe coming back to Palestine. Kayed views that as a betrayal to his people. He views it as admitting guilt for something that shouldn't be a crime.”

The event ended with several questions from the audience and a letter writing session to Kayed to show solidarity.

Currently, Bilal Kayed is in the hospital entering the 71st day of his hunger strike. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network continues to organize weekly protests to demand his freedom. The next one will be this Friday, Aug. 27 at the G4S building at 4 p.m.

#NewYorkNY #Palestine #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #SamidounPalestinianPrisonerSolidarityNetwork #BilalKayed #MiddleEast

“This could have been me,” said Mariam Aboulela from the Muslim Student Association. FSU students of all different nationalities and religions on campus joined her. After the vigil the Muslim students hosted a prayer for the victims.

Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha were shot and killed by an anti-Muslim bigot in their apartment complex in Chapel Hill. Barakat was a dental student; all three were Arab Americans.

The attack prompted vigils and actions all over the country to speak out against the islamophobia fueling the murder. The Muslim Student Association, Students for Justice in Palestine, Dream Defenders and Students for a Democratic Society gathered at FSU.

With attacks on Muslims and Arab-Americans occurring on a daily basis, students across the country are speaking out against islamophobia as well as the negative stereotypes of Muslims portrayed in the U.S. media.

#TallahasseeFL #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #Islamophobia #DreamDefenders #Antiracism #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #DeahShaddyBarakat #RazanMohammadAbuSalha #MuslimStudentAssociation #YusorMohammadAbuSalha

Chicago, IL – Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at DePaul University held a fundraiser for Rasmea Odeh here, Feb. 3, with over 200 in attendance. Speaker after speaker rose to declare their support for Chicago’s legendary Palestinian woman activist. Odeh, who survived brutal torture and rape at the hands of Israeli prison guards, was put on trial by the U.S. Attorney in Detroit. She faces 10 years of prison and deportation at her March 12 sentencing hearing, for failing to reveal her 1969 conviction in an illegal, Israeli military court, when she applied for citizenship in the U.S.

The SJP event became the center of a media storm and a controversy with DePaul’s administration when the Zionist Organization of America vilified Odeh and her student supporters. Performing at the dinner, Amir Zahr, a well-known Palestinian comic, drew laughs and applause when he scoffed at the small group of racist Zionists outside with signs against Odeh, stating “Remember when we were the counter-protesters and nobody would listen to us. How things have changed!”

#ChicagoIl #ChicagoIL #Palestine #Israel #PoliticalRepression #RasmeaOdeh #SJP #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #Illinois

Gainesville, FL – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Florida marched through campus on Dec. 3. Students are demanding that the University Police Department opt out of the Department of Defense 1033 Program that provides assault rifles and armored vehicles to local police. The 1033 Program came under close scrutiny after protests against the police murder of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Photos of protesters and residents being confronted by local police armed with assault weapons and tank-type vehicles shocked the world.

SDS was joined by other campus groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and the UF Libertarians, as well as Veterans for Peace from the local community. Those marching joined in chants of “Tuition money is for education, not police militarization,” and “From Kofi to Brown, shut it all down,” referencing a Ghanaian graduate student shot in the face in his own apartment by campus police in 2010.

Sky Button of SDS spoke about the growing campaign, “The student response that we received was overwhelmingly positive. After learning about the 1033 Program, the vast majority of students came out against this program.”

Three students from SDS and SJP were granted a meeting with the head of University of Florida Police Department (UFPD), Lieutenant Linda Stump. Stump agreed to opt out of the 1033 Program if the UFPD were allowed to keep its armored rescue vehicle. As an alternative, Stump agreed to sign a pledge to consult with students if the UFPD were to consider receiving other materiel.

Tristan Worthington, one of the SDS members in the delegation that met with Lieutenant Stump commented on the meeting, “I’m pleased that Lieutenant Stump says she is willing and eager to work hand-in-hand with us to reform the system and revise the current relationship UFPD has with the 1033 Program.”

#GainesvilleFL #StudentMovement #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #PoliceBrutality #militarization #Antiracism #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #DepartmentOfDefense1033Program

Gainesville, FL – On Nov. 10 the University of Florida’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) held a corner sign-holding protest in support of Rasmea Odeh. Odeh is a 67-year-old Palestinian woman activist from Chicago who is now being held in a Detroit jail. The U.S. government is targeting her because she is a powerful leader who speaks out against U.S. complicity in Israeli war crimes.

Two dozen students showed up at a busy campus intersection during rush hour to publicly declare they stand with Rasmea Odeh against the unfair justice system. The action took place just hours after Odeh was found guilty of “unlawful procurement of citizenship” in a Detroit courtroom. Adding insult to injury, Odeh had her bond revoked and was led away in handcuffs just hours after the verdict was read. The news hit students at the University of Florida very hard. However, like other anti-war and international solidarity activists across the country organizing for Rasmea Odeh for months, they sprang into action.

Florida students showed their shock and anger thru their action. People stayed at the protest for almost two hours chanting, giving speeches and demanding that justice for this prominent community organizer, Rasmea Odeh. Jonathan Waring of UF Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) said, “We have to show the U.S. government that activists will not be intimidated by illegitimate trials directed at the pro-Palestine movement.”

UF students are not intimidated by the U.S. government campaign of repression. If anything this verdict has amped up the sentiment for more education and actions to show solidarity with Rasmea Odeh and the Palestinian struggle that she embodies. This campus protest comes after a months-long campaign involving education, protests and call-in days. The issue is far from dying down and Florida students are ready to show support. Students for Justice in Palestine will continue to organize in solidarity with Rasmea until she is free, until all political prisoners are free and until Palestine is free.

As Eric Brown, a lead organizer with both SJP and SDS stated, “One day the settler colonial entity know as Israel will be found guilty by the people it has oppressed since its existence. On that day we will have people like Rasmea to look up to as those who have been pillars in the movement. This system has not only failed Rasmea but on every level has failed oppressed nationalities and there needs to be a serious movement for liberation that creates a completely new paradigm. Power to Rasmea and to all those facing political oppression!”

#GainesvilleFL #Palestine #Israel #UniversityOfFlorida #politicalRepression #Florida #RasmeaOdeh #SJP #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine

One important focus throughout the weekend was the upcoming trial of Rasmea Odeh, the Palestinian American community organizer who is currently a target of the U.S. government’s witch hunt against activists and members of the Palestinian solidarity community. Odeh is being criminalized for her solidarity work within the Arab American community. SJP recognizes that, “as Palestinian solidarity activists, we have a duty to support her.”

During one packed session at the conference, panelists discussed Rasmea Odeh’s case and ways SJP chapters can lend support. SJP leaders called for students to attend her trial in Detroit starting on Nov. 4 and to organize solidarity rallies on campuses across the country. Responding to the call, the University of Florida’s SJP chapter is coordinating with student activists at Florida International University, the University of Central Florida, Florida Atlantic University, the University of South Florida and other campuses in the South and nationwide.

As Amanda Nelson of University of Florida’s SJP summed up, “To stand with Rasmea is to stand with hardworking Americans who were not born in this country but have worked to establish their lives here. Most of all, to stand with Rasmea is to condemn the torture and human rights abuses committed by Israel.”

#BostonMA #Palestine #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine4thNationalConvention #RasneaOdeh #MiddleEast

Tampa, FL – 70 Palestine solidarity activists filed into the intersection of Maritime and 20th Street here to protest the docking of the ZIM Alabama, a container ship carrying Israeli goods. The Tampa Port Authority was woken early in the morning of Sept. 21 by protesters opposing the importation of Israeli goods. Israeli companies super-exploit Palestinian labor, paying very low wages.

Protesters were hoping to catch the attention of dockworkers arriving for work. Some members of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1402 waved and honked in support.

“It was really great to see dockworkers showing interest and support for our cause. There was a real sense of solidarity from the workers themselves,” said Caroline England, a member of Tampa Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

After gathering at the intersection, protesters marched to the port itself. Upon approaching the security checkpoint at the port, police surrounded the protesters, attempting to cut them off from both the port and incoming workers. Police threatened to arrest a Palestinian American woman. However fellow protesters were able to get the police to back off. The rally continued until 8:00 a.m., when it was announced that International Longshoremen’s Association workers would not be entering the port until 1:00 p.m. due to an unspecified delay. Protesters retreated in order to rest and organize reinforcements for later.

The protesters gathered again at noon with a larger crowd than the morning. They conducted another march on the port, slowing traffic that was attempting to enter. Police stood by as protesters entered the port and protested the docking of the ZIM Alabama from Israel.

The action is part of the Block the Boat movement to place economic pressure on Israel to stop killing and oppressing Palestinians. There is a growing movement of students participating in the Boycott, Divest And Sanction (BDS) campaign.

Sam Beutler of Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of South Florida said, “Every little action on our part counts. The BDS movement was integral to the destruction of the South African Apartheid regime and can play a similar role in dealing with Israeli apartheid today – whether it be not buying Sabra hummus, HP computers, or attempting to stop a boat containing Israeli goods from docking. Each action moves towards the ending of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.”

This is the second protest of the ZIM Alabama in Tamp; there was another Aug. 30. Another Block the Boat rally is being organized to oppose the return of the ZIM Alabama.

#TampaFl #TampaFL #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #SDS #Palestine #Israel #sanctions #Florida #BDS #SJP #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #ZimAlabama #Boycot #Divest #MiddleEast

Fight Back! caught up with University of Florida Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organizer Farah Khan after a militant demo against Michael Oren former U.S. Ambassador to Israel.

Fight Back!: Can you briefly describe the event in Gainesville, Florida on Sept. 16?

Farah Khan: The school event itself was titled “A Conversation with Ambassador Michael Oren and Italian-Palestinian journalist Rula Jebreal.” Michael Oren and Rula Jebreal shared the stage, with Jebreal asking Oren questions. Audience members could also submit questions if they were submitted a few days in advance. It was hosted by ACCENT Speakers Bureau and the UF’s[University of Florida] Jewish Student Union. Students for Justice in Palestine was originally asked to co-sponsor the event, but we declined for political reasons. Instead, we held a demo against Oren.

Fight Back!: Why were you protesting Michael Oren, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel?

Khan: SJP found it necessary to protest Oren and his presence on our campus because he has been intimately and proudly tied to war crimes carried out against Palestinians and Arabs. We refuse to allow a war criminal to walk freely and unopposed on our campus when an entire population remains under occupation. Although Oren’s days in the IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] are over, he now basically serves as a mouthpiece for the Israeli apartheid state, going on speaking tours and talking at events like this one to promote the occupation. We need to protest events like this so that our school knows that we are not a platform for war criminals. SJP members stood outside all the entrances to the event, with our supporters holding signs and chanting pro-Palestine and anti-apartheid slogans. Even though it was very cold and raining, our supporters remained strong and we held one of the most militant, successful demos SJP at UF has ever put on. There were over 30 cops trying to shut us down, but we stood strong in the face of the enemy, just like inspiring women like Rasmea Odeh stand strong against political repression. We were also happy to see our friends from Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) participate.

ACCENT tried to frame it as a balanced event, since Rula Jebreal, a Palestinian, was the one asking him questions. However, there is nothing balanced about this. The asymmetrical power dynamics are not addressed, and by having these two people share a stage the occupation and colonization of Palestinian land is normalized. The oppression that Palestinians face should not be viewed as normal. Rula Jebreal accepting to speak with Oren totally undermines all of the on-ground work that SJP and other activists are doing. These types of 'dialogue' centered events do not actually provide a voice for oppressed people, they are merely a more sophisticated means of further silencing the marginalized. SJP at the University of Florida is working towards a one state solution and campaigning hard for Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions (BDS): we are tabling every day, hosting teach-ins, workshops, speak-outs and protests. We are already delivering information to our student body. If students want access to an alternative viewpoint, it is right in front of their faces. We don’t need these types of events shutting us down.

Fight Back!: What can other student activists learn from this action? In other words, how did you organize such a powerful event?

Khan: We made sure to make a Facebook event for the counter-action well in advance. We also kept the event private to keep it from being discovered and foiled by any right-wing or Zionist organizations. Leadership talking to people individually helps a lot in getting everyone pumped up for a great action. We had a work meeting the night before to get all the materials ready for our demo. We came prepared for whatever weather Florida would throw at us, and held our ground. We also issued a press release the night before and had an op-ed prepared, ready to be submitted immediately after the action.

Fight Back!: You've been working to defend Rasmea Odeh, the Palestinian woman facing government repression in Detroit. Tell us about the recent repression SJP faced.

Khan: SJP has faced repression at almost every level from the University of Florida. Last December, Student Government tried to pass an anti-boycott resolution that was a direct attack on SJP. This was an ugly preemptive strike against us, but we organized against it and made sure it wasn’t passed. This semester, we are working on getting our university to divest. We tried to get a referendum on the ballot for student government signatures, and even though we came prepared with more signatures than was necessary, we were shot down on technicalities. There are literally dozens of cases where Student Government has been lenient with other organizations, but because of the nature of SJP we were turned away before even making it to the ballot. Our political message is opposed to the Zionist views of Student Government, which is a training ground for the future politicians of the 1%.

Fight Back!: What's next on the agenda for SJP and SDS?

Khan: Just because we won’t be on the ballot this fall, doesn’t mean that our campaign ends. That’s only the beginning. If anything, that experience completely reaffirmed what we already knew: our school administration isn’t on our side. Rula Jebreal urged us after the event to work within the system, to try to have a conversation and go vote at the ballot box. What she didn’t mention was that the 'democratic' process here is actually far from democratic. How can we vote when issues we care about aren’t even allowed on the ballot? We have no intention of begging the Jewish Student Union or Hillel, actively Zionist organizations that fund the occupation, to talk to us. We know that to get what we want, we have to demand it and struggle for it. We have a series of workshops coming up to help build for our BDS campaign, coupled with actions that will be demanding Bernie Machen renounce his anti-boycott statements from spring and support a resolution for divestment. We know BDS at UF is going to be an uphill battle, but we’re prepared.

#GainesvilleFL #AntiwarMovement #StudentMovement #Palestine #BDS #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #MichaelOren #MiddleEast

Gainesville, FL – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) held a rally during the busiest time of the day here, Sept. 10, to honor victims of police brutality and Palestinians murdered by Israeli forces. Approximately 30 students stopped by and watched as the rally unfolded its anti-imperialist message.

Aptly named The People’s Eulogy, the rally focused on individuals murdered by the police and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), and aimed to humanize them. Protesters held signs modeled after gravestones with the faces of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Mohammed abu Khdeir and others to create a visual impact for the people walking by.

The speeches made draw parallels between the murderous police forces in the U.S. and the brutal Israeli military and showed how both of them are results of U.S. imperialism.

Tesneem Shraiteh, president of Students for Justice in Palestine, explained the connection between police brutality in the U.S. and the IDF, stating, “The highly militarized police we have witnessed oppressing the people of Ferguson were trained by the brutal and inhumane force known as the IDF. The murder in cold blood of Palestinians such as Mohammad Sanokrot and Issa Qatari is just one of the reasons Palestinians stand in solidarity with the families of unarmed black men such as John Crawford, Eric Garner and Mike Brown.”

Jonathan Waring, a lead organizer with SDS, used this event to also announce the campaign that the group would be working on for the rest of the semester, stating, “Today was important to memorialize those killed by the police state while also calling attention to the militarization of the police and the political repression that comes with it. It’s for this very reason that we’re calling for the firing of all cops who murder innocent people and the de-militarization of our campus!”

#GainesvilleFL #AntiwarMovement #Gaza #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #SDS #Palestine #PoliceBrutality #Antiracism #SJP #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Over 250 people gathered at the Federal Courthouse here, Aug. 2 to protest U.S. support for Israeli terrorism in Gaza. As the bombs continued to drop on the people of Gaza, people of South Florida joined together to stand in solidarity with Palestine and demand an end to U.S. aid to Israel. This was the third major rally for Palestine in South Florida in three weeks.

The rally began in the evening, with protesters chanting “Free, free Palestine!” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, this racist war has got to go!” Palestinian flags waved high above the gathering and signs called for peace with justice for Palestine. Cars honked in approval and passersby joined in the gathering.

In the past two weeks, national leaders and people of the world have risen up to denounce Israeli war crimes in Gaza and to support Palestine. Since the Israeli Operation Protective Edge began over a month ago, more than 1700 Palestinians have been killed. Gaza has no electricity, entire towns are leveled, the hospitals there are overwhelmed, bodies are decaying in the streets, and no place – including shelters – is safe from Israeli aggression.

About an hour after the protest started, the chants came to an end. The crowd became somber and quiet as the protesters formed a large circle at the front of the courthouse for a memorial to the victims in Gaza. People were asked to come into the center one by one to read aloud about 1000 names of innocent men, women and children murdered by Israeli missiles and bombs.

Emotions ran high as the names and ages of the fallen were read by people of all ages, races and religions. Pain, sadness and anger overtook many who approached the megaphone in the center of the circle. It was soon evident entire families were wiped out by Israel, and that many of the people killed by Israel in the past month were children. The youngest victim memorialized at the rally was four months old.

As names of innocent victims were read to a silent crowd, a group of about 15 counter-protesters waving American and Israeli flags across the street began shouting. Their disrespect for the dead was obvious as they chanted, “Go Israel!” and “Go home terrorists!” in between names.

After the names were read, however, the voices of the few counter-protesters were drowned out by the roar of 250 people chanting, “We. Are. We are all Palestine! We. Are. We are all Palestine!” Protesters say they will continue to organize until there is justice for Palestine.

The protest was organized by Al-Awda South Florida, People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the Green Party of Broward County.

#FortLauderdaleFL #AntiwarMovement #Gaza #Palestine #AlAwda #POWIR #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #MiddleEast

Gainesville, FL — On July 16, sixty University of Florida students and Gainesville activists marched from the Alachua County Courthouse to Gainesville City Hall to protest the recent US-backed Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Rami Okasha of UF Students for Justice in Palestine started the march saying, “Despite what Zionists say, Palestinians do exist and have been doing their part in resisting a slow genocide of their people. It is time we do ours.”

The protesters took to the streets during rush hour, blocking traffic, loudly chanting “Free, Free Palestine” and “”Netanyahu you can't hide, we charge you with genocide”. They gathered at the steps of City Hall to hear a round of speeches.

Jonathan Waring, of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said in his speech, “As long as Palestinians are being oppressed by a US puppet state, we cannot sit idly by and allow them to suffer at the hands of the US and Israel.”

The demonstration concluded with a reading of the names of the 197 victims of Israeli air strikes in Gaza. The crowd held a moment of silence for the Palestinian dead. The protesters tried to symbolically tape the name of the victims to City Hall but police officers stopped them. These actions were greeted by jeers and “Shame on you, City Hall!” The protesters then delivered the list of names to the City and demanded that Gainesville stand with the people of Palestine.

At the end of the rally, Michela Martinazzi of UF Students for a Democratic Society said “It’s important to show solidarity with Palestine in their daily fight against US Imperialism and today’s action proved that the people of Gainesville are standing tall with them.”

#GainesvilleFL #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #Palestine #PeoplesStruggles #Israel #UniversityOfFlorida #Florida #UFSDS #SJP #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #MiddleEast

Gainesville, FL – University of Florida Students for Justice in Palestine (UF SJP) held a solidarity protest July 7 for Palestinian teens under attack by the Israeli state. Around 35 students and community activists held signs and chanted on the corner of the busy street of University and 13th Street near the campus. Protesters chanted, “Viva viva Palestina! Viva the Intifada!” and “Justice for Tariq!”

Last week the Israeli state launched a violent campaign against Palestinians in Gaza. They used the Israeli air force to bomb over a dozen areas, tear-gassed demonstrators, arrested over 600 people, carried out home demolitions and more.

The Gainesville student protest was in solidarity with Mohammed Abu Khdeir of Jerusalem and his cousin Tariq Khdeir of Tampa, Florida. Mohammed Khdeir, a 16-year-old Palestinian, was kidnapped and burned alive on July 2. Tariq Khdeir, his 15-year-old Palestinian American cousin was protesting the violent campaign waged by the Israeli state. Tariq Khdeir was restrained by an Israeli police intelligence unit and brutally beaten to unconsciousness.

Eric Brown, a member of UF SJP said, “Seeing the pictures of Tariq's disfigured face really brought home to me the connection between the brutality Palestinians face from the Israeli state and the police brutality that Black men deal with in the U.S. In both cases the U.S. allows the brutality because of the state-sanctioned dehumanization of both groups. The imprisonment of both is done to further stifle resistance.”

Brown continued, “We’re here today to send a clear message that collective punishment is wrong and that not only should those who beat Tariq be investigated and brought to justice but also that Tariq being under house arrest is absurd.”

Gainesville Students for a Democratic Society plans to follow up by petitioning in solidarity with Rasmea Odeh, a Palestinian American women’s leader who is going to court on Sept. 8 in Detroit. Now 67 years old, Odeh was the first women to speak publicly about being physically and sexually tortured by the Israeli military back in 1969. Though living in the U.S. for 20 years, ten of them as a U.S. citizen, Odeh is facing trumped-up charges in a Detroit courtroom concerning her immigration paperwork. The whole world will be watching as the U.S. government puts a torture victim on trial.

#GainesvilleFl #GainesvilleFL #Gaza #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #Palestine #PeoplesStruggles #Israel #UniversityOfFlorida #Tampa #Florida #Tariq #UF #SJP #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #MiddleEast