Students for Justice in Palestine - Al-Aqsa Flood
Since the start of Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” on the 7th of last October, and the unprecedented Israeli operatoin in the Gaza Strip that followed, various Arab, Palestinian and Jewish groups have organized many marches and demonstrations, and the “SJP” student group supported the resistance. The protests included boycott campaigns and calls to withdraw investments from companies that deal with Israel. They also raised slogans denouncing war crimes committed against the Palestinian people, and accused Israel of committing genocide and ethnic cleansing, which led to accusations of anti-Semitism. Charges of supporting “terrorism” pursue the SGP within the corridors of American universities.
Several peaceful protests were organized by the “Students for Justice in Palestine” movement during the second half of November 2023 in cooperation with other student groups in solidarity with Palestine, during which they called on the Columbia University to publicly call for a ceasefire and withdraw financial endowments from companies. Complicit with the Israeli apartheid state, and ending academic programs in Tel Aviv.
The protests, attended by hundreds of students, was considered a “threatening and intimidating speech,” and Columbia University suspended the “Students for Justice in Palestine” chapter and other student groups in solidarity with Palestine until the end of the semester, a measure that was met with strong opposition among students and faculty members. Teaching. On the other hand, the Israeli organization “StandWithUS,” which describes itself as a non-partisan educational organization, praised Columbia University’s decision on its own pages on social media. This is after the organization wrote to several American universities urging them to hold such student groups accountable, which according to them “spread the spirit of Hate” on campus.
Columbia University's decision to ban the "Students for Justice in Palestine" group prompted nearly 200 of its faculty members to come out to protest the decision to suspend the work of the "Students for Justice in Palestine" group, and the professors read statements in support of the group and its members, in the presence of hundreds of students. Professor of History, Professor Premila Nadasin, addressed the university administration and said, "Where is your courage? We are here to tell the students: They can suspend an organization, but they cannot suspend the movement."
This was not the only restriction that the “Students for Justice in Palestine” movement was subjected to. The branch of the student movement at Brandeis University was banned on the grounds that they “openly support Hamas.” The branch of the movement at George Washington University was also banned after it was lifted. Three of its members had the slogan “Glory to our martyrs” on one of the study buildings, during an increasing wave of repression that affected members of the movement in American universities throughout the country, including a call by a Republican legislator to withdraw fellowships and scholarships from university students who openly support the Palestinian resistance in Florida.
For its part, the Anti-Defamation League - which is considered one of the oldest Jewish institutions and was founded in 1913 to confront anti-Semitism before moving to support Israel after its establishment - sent a letter to nearly 200 university presidents urging them to investigate the student group’s violations. Known as Students for Justice in Palestine, it is subject to potential federal and state laws regarding providing material support to “terrorism.”
Many of the students who boldly stood in solidarity with the Palestinians point out that they were subjected to campaigns of demonization, defamation, intimidation, expulsion, and targeting, and that their advocacy for the Palestinian cause was equated with support for terrorism by the government, university presidents, bosses, and politicians at all levels. Stephen Hamad (a pseudonym), a student representative in the SGP movement at George Washington University, told the independent media platform PRISM that the movement’s branch has been subjected to intense scrutiny in recent weeks, whether by the university administration or local media.
The Students for Justice in Palestine movement actively participated in organizing many protests and demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine within the corridors of American universities. At Stanford University, the movement’s branch published a statement immediately following the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation. In it, they pointed out that the events of October 7 are part of a decades-long struggle against the oppression of the Israeli occupation that has lasted more than 75 years, denouncing the shorthand media coverage that portrayed it as if it were an attack that came out of nowhere without any introduction, without showing the siege that is imposed by Israel by air, land and sea on the Gaza Strip, and the way the Israeli occupation controls water, electricity, and even the number of calories that can enter the Strip daily, is what turned Gaza into the largest open prison in history, according to Human Rights Watch. The statement of the movement's branch at Columbia University also recognized the right of the Palestinians to resist the occupation in accordance with the provisions of international law.
DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida, ordered the state's universities to disband branches of the "Students for Justice in Palestine" movement, alleging that the student group provides material support to terrorist groups, which is considered a felony under Florida law. DeSantis, at thst time one of the prospective candidates for the US presidency, is known for his supportive stance on Israel. The Florida governor had not hesitated to send supplies to Israel since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip. He also supported holding a special legislative session to impose new sanctions on Iran, alleging its support for the Palestinian resistance movement ( Hamas).
Students for Justice in Palestine decided to file a lawsuit against the state, university, and DeSantis administration in federal court, in response to DeSantis' decision to dissolve the group's chapters within the state. SJB indicated that such measures taken against them amount to the state imposing censorship on freedom of expression, and the group also issued a statement in which they affirmed their right as students on the American campus to defend human rights, enhance public awareness, and demand a just and reasonable solution to the Palestinian conflict. Israelis, without their voices being forcefully silenced by the government.
Alex Morey, director of campus rights advocacy at FIRE, defended the student group, saying that it did not cross the red lines of freedom of expression. Mori wrote to several American universities asking them not to punish students for their feelings of solidarity with Palestine. She indicated that she was not surprised by the violent reaction towards the SJB, because their rhetoric is not popular in times like these when educational institutions are under enormous pressure to combat what they consider “anti-Semitism.” Republicans are now threatening to stop funding universities that do not take serious action against students who support the Palestinian resistance movement (Hamas).
The American Civil Liberties Union's response was to urge universities to reject the Florida Governor's order and the Anti-Defamation League's request, and said that these demands are "chilling. It is impossible to restrict what is permitted for freedom of expression and association on campus." The union wrote “No college or university, whether public or private, can fulfill its mission as a forum for vigorous debate if its officials initiate unfounded investigations into those who express undesirable or even hateful opinions”.
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