Some 35 members of Students for Justice in Palestine at San Jose State University and community supporters marched from the campus to City Hall on Nov. 21 to rally and present a list of demands to Mayor Chuck Reed.
A leader of the group, Abid El-miaari, pointed Liberation News to the following list of Israeli crimes motivating the protest:
- The closure/attacks on Al Aqsa Mosque;
- The attacks/vandalization of Palestinian churches;
- The killing of multiple Palestinian children and civilians;
- The continuous illegal siege on Gaza, illegal occupation of the West Bank, and confiscation/theft of Palestinian land; and
- The refusal of Israel to allow the millions of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes, comply with International law, return the Golan Heights, withdraw from The Shebaa farms, and tear down the Apartheid Wall
Spirited chanting echoed off campus buildings and along the march route. Chants included: “Free, free Palestine,” “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” “Israel, Israel what do you say, how many kids did you kill today,” “Israel, Israel you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide,” “1, 2, 3, 4 occupation no more, 5, 6, 7, 8 Israel is a terrorist state,” and “From Ferguson to Palestine, racism is a crime.”
After arriving at City Hall, an SJP delegation, headed by El-miaari, went to the office of the mayor and handed in a list of demands. It began, “We, the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and concerned community members, write to you today as citizens of America deeply troubled by the continuous violations of international law by Israel.” The statement concluded with, “WE DEMAND that our government stop its complicity with the violations of international law by ending U.S. military aid to Israel.”
The SJP reached out for support from numerous groups. Those responding included Students For Justice In Palestine at UC Berkeley, Muslim Students Association of SJSU, South Asian Advocacy Group, American Muslims for Palestine, Afghan Student Association, Justice for Palestinians, Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine, Student Coalition for SJSU Accountability, and ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism).
Representatives of the groups participating in the action expressed their solidarity with the Palestinian struggle at the concluding rally.
