Palestinian Students And Academics Express Solidarity With University Encampments Across The Globe

Since late April, thousands of students across the U.S. have launched encampments on the campuses of their universities in solidarity with Palestine. Students are demanding that their universities divest their endowments from Israel and all companies that do business with Israel and benefit from its illegal occupation of Palestine. They are also calling for universities to cut all academic partnerships with Israel. They have declared that they will remain in the encampments until their demands are met.

These encampments have already been met with heavy repression by university administrations and local officials. In many cases, administrators have already called in campus police, local town or city police, and even state troopers to violently attack, arrest, and evict students, faculty, and community members from the encampments. This repression has only served to strengthen the movement and increase its visibility, inspiring others to do the same at their own universities not only in the U.S. but around the world.

Groups across Historic Palestine have expressed their gratitude and solidarity for the brave actions taken by students and encouraged them to continue the struggle. A statement from the Palestinian Educational Collective, a grouping of Palestinian youth, students, and university workers reads, “As you erect tents across campuses, as you demand that colleges and universities divest from companies profiting from genocide, as you demand to put an end to academic programs with Israeli institutions, you are making history! Your loud cry for Palestinian liberation is being heard and is slowly but forcefully resonating around the world.”

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