Each One Of Them Is A Story: The Student Intifada, Oct 17-23
Each One Of Them Is A Story: The Student Intifada, Oct 17-23
Cutting ties in Italy, occupations in Belgium, disruption in the UK, and much more from The Student Intifada.
Welcome and welcome back.
On Wednesday 23rd October 2024, the IOF publicly threatened six journalists who have been reporting on the genocide in Gaza. Using completely fabricated evidence, they announced these journalists as clear targets for assassination.
Know their names and honor their work: Anas al-Sharif; Talal Aruki; Alaa Salama; Hossam Shabat; Ismail Farid; and Ashraf Saraj.
All six are reporters for Al-Jazeera.
They are among the few journalists left in Northern Gaza, operating under a near-total media blackout to cover the most violent campaign yet enacted by IOF forces. Hundreds have been killed in just a few days through the use of bombs, fire, chemical weapons, bullets, starvation, and torture. It is unclear how many Palestinian men have been captured by the IOF and illegally detained. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced, and have nowhere to go. It is only through the tireless work of journalists that any information is leaving Northern Gaza; a fact the IOF is all too aware of.
The accusations — that the journalists are secretly “Hamas and Islamic Jihad Terrorists” — come a month after Israeli soldiers raided and shut down the Al Jazeera offices in the occupied West Bank. Back in May, Israeli police raided Al Jazeera’s offices in occupied East Jerusalem, seizing equipment, and blocking its websites and broadcasts. This week’s actions are part of a long and consistent pattern of zionist forces working to silence those who report accurately on the horrors being perpetrated in Palestine.
More journalists have been killed in Palestine than in any other war in history.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) has documented the murder of 167 journalists over the past year. Two remain missing under “enforced disappearance”. More than 190 journalists have been severely wounded, and over 125 arrested.
“Every time a journalist is killed, injured, arrested, or forced to go to exile, we lose fragments of the truth.”
—Carlos Martinez de la Serna, Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists.
While we must honor the journalists who have been martyred, we must also speak out about those still alive who are kidnapped and tortured for doing their job.
"The testimonies of detained male and female journalists are harrowing," wrote Nasser Abu Bakr, President of PJS, in a 26-page report released this month detailing the torture of Palestinian journalists kidnapped by zionist forces. “All journalists across the world [must] fulfill their professional and humanitarian duty. These atrocities are not just against Palestinians, nor solely against journalists; they are crimes against humanity itself.”
In a press release on the most recent declarations by the IOF, and its attempts to silence journalists, Al Jazeera stated:
“Journalism is not a crime, and we will continue to bring the truth to light, no matter what obstacles or threats we face.”
What did we miss?
Italy, 11th & 14th October
On Friday 11th, students from Politecnico di Torino stormed the Aula Magna Auditorium to give a two-minute speech during an event dedicated to members of the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering department.
On Monday 14th, a football match took place in Udine between Italy and Israel. Students from Veneto and Bologna took action during the night, covering regional buildings with messages denouncing institutional support for Israeli apartheid. A demonstration was held during the match in Udine and Turin.
South Korea, 14th October
Also on Monday 14th, the Seoul National University Palestine Solidarity Group protested outside a ceremony celebrating the 78th anniversary of the founding of SNU. They demanded the closure of the Israel Education Research Center.
United States, 7th-15th October
On Monday 7th, the Fordham University Board of Trustees voted to approve the creation of the ‘Advisory Committee of Socially Responsible Investing’ after months of negotiations with Fordham SJP. The committee will allow Fordham students to have more say in University investments, which could be the first step towards divestment.
On Monday 14th, students at the University of Chicago released a statement condemning police brutality allowed by University administration following their October 7th “Week of Rage” actions. Student protesters, who locked the University gates and hung a banner reading “Free Palestine – Hands off Lebanon”, were hit with batons, pepper sprayed, and nearly run over by police officers.
On Tuesday 15th, Pomona College evicted, banned, and issued interim suspensions for twelve students following their suspected participation in actions on October 7th. Following appeals, ten students were still denied access to housing and cut from the College’s meal plan.
Austria, 16th October
On Wednesday 16th, a student-led protest filled the streets in Vienna, temporarily blocking traffic. In their statement, the organizers call on students to escalate and confront Austrian complicity in the Genocide: “It seems that the entire fabric of this state has agreed to the genocidal military campaign of israel.”
Anything else we’ve missed? Let us know!
Viva l’intifada studentesca
On Monday 21st, students from the University of Milan announced a major victory after relentless mobilization and protests. Following intense actions, the new Rector, Marina Brambilla, agreed to immediately suspend the University's partnership with Reichman University, a private university linked very closely to Israel's military activity. This follows a previous suspension of ties with Ariel University, located in illegally occupied territories in the West Bank.
This time, the win is even more significant as Reichman University is in Tel Aviv — within the zionist state itself, rather than occupied Palestinian territory. Student organizers underlined the importance of this fact, stating:
“La Reichman non si trova in un insediamento illegale; essa rappresenta la quintessenza del sionismo, un sionismo militarizzato che pervade ogni aspetto della sua stessa esistenza.”
Reichman is not in an illegal settlement; it represents quintessential zionism, a militarized zionism that pervades every aspect of its very existence.
The severing of ties symbolizes a deep challenge to Western academic partnerships with Israeli institutions involved in the military occupation of Palestine. This success marks a pivotal moment in the student movement’s campaign to hold academic institutions accountable.
Students in Milan are now setting their sights on challenging the University’s collaborations with Italy’s military and arms industry, particularly the Polytechnic University of Milan and its ties to Leonardo SpA.
Congratulations to our comrades on this success after years of hard work. Viva l’intifada studentesca!
Updates from the intifada, October 17-23
United Kingdom
On Sunday 20th, the University of Oxford held its matriculation ceremonies, in which new students officially enrolled. During two of the ceremonies, students interrupted the Vice-Chancellor’s speech to condemn the University’s refusal to acknowledge Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people. One activist spoke up about the stark divide between the Vice-Chancellor’s speech about truth, and the lack of truth in her actions. Outside, more than a dozen students held a “die-in” on the University steps, symbolizing the martyred students of Gaza who are unable to return to their studies.
On Wednesday 23rd, students from multiple universities in London walked out and demonstrated at SOAS University to protest the suspension of two students and the unprecedented escalation of repression of student protest in recent months.
Netherlands
On Monday 21st, students from the University of Amsterdam were among activists demonstrating outside the House of Representatives. Up for discussion was a contract worth thousands of euros granted to an Israeli arms manufacturer, Rafael, that contributes directly to the slaughter of people in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
Belgium
On Friday 18th, the students of the Université Libre de Bruxelles organized a march from the University to the Israeli embassy in Brussels. This was spurred on by the escalation of Israeli attacks in the preceding week.
On Sunday 20th, students from the Universities of Liège, Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Leuven, and more, took part in a national march for Palestine and Lebanon. Protesters demanded that the Belgian government impose a military embargo, support the ICC and ICJ proceedings, and sanction military/political leaders breaking international law.
On Monday 21st, students at the Catholic University of Louvain announced that to show their support for the Palestinians, Lebanese, and other peoples resisting imperialism, and to react to the University's inaction, members of Collective Action Against Imperialism are occupying the ILV Building.
South Africa
This week, the School of Social Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand has committed itself to an academic boycott of Israeli universities “in response to the destruction of higher education in Gaza by the Israeli government in the aftermath of 7 October 2023”.
France
On Sunday 20th, students in Paris held a spontaneous demonstration, aiming for the American embassy. Surrounded by a heavy police presence, they continued chanting, eventually moving towards Place de la Concorde. The following day, Monday, October 21st, they repeated the demonstration at the Israeli embassy. Similar protests took place at the American consulate in Bordeaux on Monday. The organizers emphasized the role of the US in fueling the conflict, stating:
“Les américains n’ont jamais voulu d’un cessez-le-feu, s’ils voulaient un cessez-le-feu, ils arrêteraient de livrer des armes et la guerre serait finie en moins de 24h.”
The Americans have never wanted a ceasefire. If they wanted a ceasefire, they would stop delivering weapons, and the war would be over in less than 24 hours.
On Monday 21st, students and activists from Action Justice Climat Paris targeted a BNP Paribas office, spraying it red to denounce the bank's involvement in funding the zionist military apparatus. BNP Paribas holds significant investments in illegal settler colonies in the West Bank.
United States
Twice this week, on Wednesday 16th and Friday 18th, JVP students at Northwestern University erected Sukkah structures both in solidarity with Gaza and to celebrate Sukkot. Both times, within a matter of hours, Northwestern Administration sent in University employees as well as NUPD to demolish the structures. Northwestern SJP has released a statement denouncing this action and affirming their support and solidarity for Northwestern JVP.
Similarly, seventeen Jewish students at Brown University will be facing punishment for sleeping in their Gaza solidarity Sukkah.
Germany
On Thursday 17th, an autonomous group of student activists stormed the administration at Freie Universität Berlin in an attempt to occupy the building, protesting the University’s ongoing support of Israel. After besieging the building, the police evicted the students and arrested some.
On Saturday 19th, student groups from 12 different cities in Germany organized a nationwide protest march in Munich under the name “Students United Against the Systematic Oppression of Pro-Palestinian Voices”. The protest’s starting point was the encampment at the University of Munich, which has been present at the University since May and survived an arson attack in August.
Parting thoughts
An extract from a Mondoweiss interview published this month with Shuruq As’ad, pioneering journalist and PJS representative.
“I want to start by saying that this is nothing new. It’s not like the occupation was very nice to journalists and then after October 7 they started being violent. What we are experiencing is a systematic attack that has been escalating year after year. […]
I covered invasions, I covered the [2006] war on the Lebanese border, and I kept functioning, even when we were besieged and scared, because in that situation you’re not just covering a story, you’re covering yourself. You’re covering your life, your country, your children, your friends, your hospitals, your schools, your streets, your future. It’s not just a story for you. And journalists in Gaza really feel like this is their role, like they have a responsibility to their people, especially because no one else is going to deliver the truth from Gaza. […]
I believe that they have taught a lot, the journalists of Gaza. We learned from them how to be really dedicated to what you do, how to work in the midst of a crisis, a crisis that you are a part of, a crisis in which you are an even bigger target than the people around you. They go through so much to capture a photo; they work so hard to find a little food, and then they give it to their families. Imagine, without these local journalists, we would have never known what happened in Gaza. Their patience is unbelievable. Each one of them is a story.”
The article (linked here) is recommended by a comrade at TSI, and we hope reading it gives context for the true terrors under which Palestinian journalists operate.
In solidarity and resistance, The Student Intifada.
Written this week by comrades from Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Belgium, and Italy.