Nearly 200 organizations express solidarity with Gaza student protests
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The progressive organizations urged students "to raise awareness about Israel’s assault on Gaza – with U.S. weapons and funding."
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Pro-Palestinian demonstrators are seen displaying a "Free Palestine" banner outside Hamilton Hall inside the Columbia University campus, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (AP)
Nearly 200 progressive organizations issued a statement expressing their solidarity with the wave of pro-Palestinian student protests, the news website The Hill reported.
This comes as the Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed Tuesday that the number of Palestinians killed since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on the Strip has now reached 34,535, while those injured to 77,704.
The organizations commended "students who are exercising their right to protest peacefully despite an overwhelming atmosphere of pressure, intimidation, and retaliation, to raise awareness about Israel’s assault on Gaza – with U.S. weapons and funding."
The statement pointed out that "these students have come forth with clear demands that their universities divest from corporations profiting from Israeli occupation, and demanding safe environments for Palestinians across their campuses."
"The students’ courage and determination in the face of adversity inspire us all to take action and speak out against injustice wherever it occurs. As they risk everything right now, it is critical that all of us do everything we can to support them," it stressed.
In recent weeks, protests focusing on the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and Palestinian human rights have emerged on college campuses across the United States, notably at Columbia University, where demonstrators occupied Tuesday a building on campus, blocked entrances, and displayed a Palestinian flag outside a window of the Hamilton Hall, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
In the same context, an autonomous group has reclaimed Hamilton Hall and renamed it "Hind's Hall", in tribute to Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian child who was killed at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza, according to CU Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a coalition of pro-Palestinian student organizations.
In a nod to the 1968 anti-war protests, #ColumbiaUniversity students took over #HamiltonHall, renaming it Hind's Hall.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 30, 2024
It was renamed after Hind Rajab, the 6-year-old #Palestinian girl who was brutally killed by Israeli tanks a couple of months ago.
The Hall was taken over by… pic.twitter.com/6OKUZeYiOa
"Protesters have voiced their intention to remain at Hind’s Hall until Columbia concedes to CUAD’s three demands: divestment, financial transparency, and amnesty," the group underlined.
Several media outlets suggested that over 1,000 individuals have been arrested on campuses, highlighting that protests have extended beyond the United States to Canada and Europe.
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