Where to go when 89 percent of Gaza is a war zone? – Day 315
The Guardian reports: Student activists are planning a fresh wave of pro-Palestine protests at US colleges this fall, boosted by a “summer school” led by organizers over the break, ramping up coordination and strategy in the wake of police crackdowns on campuses this past spring.
Despite academic suspensions, doxing attempts and the arrests of more than 3,000 students nationwide, the students who occupied their campuses’ lawns with tents last semester are gearing up for another – possibly bigger – round of demonstrations “on all fronts, by all means”, calling once again for a ceasefire in Gaza and for their colleges to divest from financial ties to Israel.
The National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organization held online education and training sessions this summer, offering unofficial courses to students who belong to specific student organizations – such as Jewish Voices for Peace, the Muslim Students Association and local SJP university chapters around the country – on the history of Palestine but also on how to organize, with the aim of creating a more unified and better prepared mass protest movement.
“The purpose of it was kind of to have all these people that are involved in SJP itself to build different workshops to be more educated on organizing and to be prepared for certain situations,” said Sereen Haddad, a Palestinian American undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University, a public institution in that state’s capital, Richmond.
NSJP and local SJP chapters have been accused by their opponents of sympathizing with Hamas – a claim the organization vehemently rejects – and have been suspended on some college campuses including Columbia University in New York, Brandeis University in Massachusetts and George Washington University in Washington DC, for allegedly breaking campus rules.
RECOMMENDED READING: Detailed study finds 99% of pro-Palestine protests at US universities are peaceful
What impact will pro-Palestine protests have on the DNC? Tens of thousands expected in Chicago’s streets
The Independent reports: When the Democratic National Convention gets underway in Chicago this week, it is expected to be accompanied by the largest pro-Palestine protests in the city’s history, according to advocacy groups.
Pro-Palestine demonstrators aren’t new to Chicago. They have been marching on the city’s streets every weekend since October 7th.
The DNC, where Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are expected to accept their nominations, faces significant disruption from protests, with Chicago home to the largest community of Palestinians in the country. Tens of thousands are anticipated to mobilize.
“It’ll be the largest protest in the history of Chicago for Palestinian rights, specifically,” Hatem Abudayyeh, national chair for the US Palestinian Community Network, told Block Club Chicago.
There has been a months-long court battle over the protest route. Advocacy groups requested parade permits to march near the United Center but were repeatedly denied by city officials. The city, in turn, offered the groups an alternative route, a requirement that prompted them to sue the city and Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation, alleging First Amendment violations.
The groups then asked a federal judge to extend their route by a mile, and move the route closer to the United Center. The judge denied that request on August 12, partly due to the route interfering with the Secret Service perimeter, court filings show.
Organizers said they plan to appeal the decision, according to ABC7. It’s unclear whether the groups will stick to those restrictions or will march without a permit.
“We’re going to march regardless, but we’re fighting for the best route possible,” Faayani Aboma Mijana, a spokesperson for the March on the DNC coalition, told Semafor. “We’ve got our park permit, but the City has refused to allow us to use port-a-potties, a stage, and a sound system.”
Estimates say Chicago could see anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 demonstrators.
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