Calling ALL students and faculty to come together in a mass showing of support, solidarity, and action for Palestine on Monday, February 24th, at 4:30 pm! At that time, universities across the Northeast Coast will hold a coordinated rally for Palestine under the same demands. This regional effort has been conducted with the belief that mass action, cooperation, and solidarity are essential for Palestinian liberation. At our largest, the effort gathered 15 universities from 4 states! The rally at Wesleyan will take place outside of Usdan and North College, and is accompanied by an extensive cultural and educational campaign about Palestine throughout February building up to 2/24. ALL students, faculty, and community members are invited to the upcoming events and rally to join and strengthen the mass movement for a liberated Palestine, and to demand of our institutions and the federal government that they immediately cease support for the Zionist state and the industries which profit from warmongering, genocide, and oppression across the globe!
The finalized demands of the February Action Committee for the 2/24 mass action are as follows: 1. End All U.S. Aid to Israel Now! 2. Power Down Pratt: Cut university ties to Pratt & Whitney and its peers—no research, donations, or recruitment for companies arming Israel’s genocide in Palestine! 3. Just Transition: Dismantle the military industrial complex and extractive industries! Transition to a sustainable economy with good union wages! 4. Academic Boycott: End all university partnerships and programs with Israeli academic institutions due to their direct contribution to the Zionist state’s goals of colonization and ethnic cleansing! 5. Stop attacks on our movement and university repression! Protect freedom of speech and academic freedom! 6. Build a unified student body in the Northeast for a liberated Palestine!
The regional planning for this coordinated effort has been underway since mid-December, directed by the February Action Committee, an ad hoc committee created by CT Students for Palestine. At Wesleyan, both the rally and its lead-up events have been coordinated by a group of organizers including individual students, professors, and members of the endorsing organizations Wesleyan Young Socialists, Wesleyan Students for Justice in Palestine, Beyond Empire, and the Wesleyan Refugee Project, as well as the regional organizing networks CT Palestine Solidarity Coalition, CT Labor for Palestine, and CT Students for Palestine. The regional and local planning committees invite all those interested to join the build for the rally: Regional planning meetings take place Wednesdays at 7:00 pm in the UOC, and planning for Wesleyan’s participation takes place Thursdays at 4:30 pm in the UOC.
Throughout February, student organizers with the help of involved faculty at Wesleyan have planned a series of events to build up to the 2/24 mass protest. On February 6th, the Movement Strategy Discussion held a roundtable conversation about the lessons we can draw from the successful struggle for Palestine at San Francisco State University. On February 10th, Wesleyan was visited by a medical student from Quinnipiac University affiliated with the organization CT Healthcare Workers for Palestine to conduct a forum about the dire medical situation in Gaza and discuss how health itself is political. On February 15th, a Palestinian-American activist with the organization We Will Return facilitated a discussion entitled “Where do we go from here?” about next steps for the movement in the context of the recent ceasefire. On February 16th, the community met for a fruitful art build to create signs, banners, and other materials in preparation for the rally itself.
Upcoming events include With Others in Suffering/Solidarity, which will be held on Wednesday, February 19th at 4:30 pm in the College of Letters library. Guided by the support of the Palestine Seminar and affiliated faculty, the open reading and discussion of poetry by and for Palestinian, and other suffering peoples, will bring a different, interdisciplinary perspective on the genocide. All are encouraged to bring suggested readings and will be welcomed to light snacks and tea. On Friday, February 21st, at 10:00 pm, there will be a Concert for Palestine, with more details to be released shortly. On Sunday, February 23rd, there will be a second community art build at 4:00 pm in the University Organizing Center. All students and community members are invited to all events, which will prepare us for the mass rally on Monday, February 24th at 4:30 pm outside of Usdan, when we will show that Wesleyan stands with the mass movement for a liberated Palestine!
The rally itself will be a mass demonstration of solidarity between our community, Palestine, and the many struggles that unite organizers and workers around the world! The fight for a free Palestine is an intersectional movement that encompasses fights for environmental justice, racial justice, health care and reproductive justice, and the liberation of oppressed peoples worldwide. Thus, the rally will be accompanied by tabling by interested student and Connecticut organizations who will be able to disseminate information about their own work and demonstrate their solidarity. Speakers will include Layan Alnajjar, a Syrian-Palestinian activist and member of the Executive Committee of the organization We Will Return, Diana Martinez, the former Associate Director of the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships before she was unjustly fired for her work with the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, among other student and faculty speakers. The rally will be followed by a meeting and discussion in the UOC hosted by the organizers of the 2/24 campaign, open to all students, faculty, and community members.
With the recently passed ceasefire, the increasing pressure and attacks on organizers from the Trump administration, and executive orders targeting international students, trans community members, and immigrants, many are questioning the validity of the movement for Palestine and considering the risks involved with joining. Our movement is facing a crucial, precarious moment. And yet, the only way to keep all of us safe and ensure that the fight for Palestine grows and strengthens is through the building of a mass, intersectional movement capable of defending its members when they are targeted by those who would rather see us divided, hidden, and scared! Certain members of our community may decide to conceal their identities when participating in mass action for fear of their safety and livelihoods. Safe protest practices, such as wearing masks and sunglasses or nondescript clothing, can provide some level of protection and should be taken into consideration, especially by those most vulnerable. However, mass surveillance gives our government and institutions the capability to identify members of our movement through their usual clothing or facial recognition trained on ID databases. This is why it is perhaps more important than ever to continue showing up for Palestine, showing up for each other, and carrying out open, democratic mass actions. The best way to keep us safe is by declaring, openly and loudly, that we are extensive, undivided, and strong enough to defend ourselves against attacks! So, Monday, February 24th at 4:30 pm outside Usdan—we will see you there, and we will be sure to defend you after. Join the build and join the movement!