Rowan Students for Justice in Palestine on their recognition suspension
Editor’s Note: FightBackBetter Editorial Board is in total agreement with the Rowan Students for Justice in Palestine statement. The administration has capitulated to a relentless probably well funded campaign involving 1000s of pressure phone calls likely from pro-Israel supporters all over the nation and world. In order to avoid threats of legal action the administration is repressing the protected free speech rights of the students to advocate for the humanitarian end of US supported Israel genocide which now is being continued under Trump’s policy to “Take Gaza.”
The knee jerk reaction by the Rowan administration due to fear of legal costs is a taste of NJ’s future under a law package sponsored by the Democrats in both NJ legislative houses (supported by Republicans). The laws would force loyalty to Israel and threaten legal harm to individuals and complete cuts to state funding to any entity found to be out of compliance with the false “IHRA” definition of so called “anti-semitism.” IHRA doctrine falsely conflates criticism of Israel with “anti-Semitism”. We urge support for the student statement and a unified effort to defend our beloved rights to protected free speech in NJ!
ON THE SUSPENSION OF ROWAN STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE
Today, Friday, February 7th, Rowan Students for Justice in Palestine received notice that we have been indefinitely suspended by the University. This leaves us unable to utilize any facilities/spaces on campus, unable to access University funds for any purpose, prohibited from representing ourselves as having any affiliation with Rowan, and finally, we are no longer considered a recognized student organization. This suspension served as the University’s response to targeted attacks on our SJP chapter by a far right-wing group, following the posting of a flyer advertising our Welcome Back event. The flyer, which depicted a man wearing a kuffiyeh and holding a slingshot, was circulated among the hate group online, and was accompanied with pressure to place calls to the Rowan Dean of Students office and demand they take action against our chapter.
The group, Make NJ Red, sent in thousands of unfounded complaints and allegations claiming that the flyer was “threatening in nature” and that SJP has “connections to external organizations that promote violence and harm towards others.” They attempted to back these claims with comparisons of our SJP chapter to white supremacist groups and terrorist organizations. These complaints are rooted in undeniably racist, anti-Palestinian rhetoric that conflates anti-colonial resistance movements with inherent violence and anti-Semitism. They stated in their online forum “the poster with the slingshot which is a symbol of the resistance in Gaza and the West Bank against Jews.” The imagery of the slingshot in the Palestinian liberation movement emerged from the first Intifada, when Palestinian youth, often armed only with stones and slingshots, confronted the heavily armed Israeli tanks who would regularly invade Palestinian homes and villages. The slingshot represents the belief in justice and the struggle for liberation in the face of overwhelming odds.
Rowan University has conceded to the baseless claims made by a malicious and vocal opposition, highlighting without a shadow of a doubt their allegiance to protecting the University image above all else. Above the rights and protection of students, and above standing against ongoing genocide and colonization. The legitimacy of the bigoted complaints, which Rowan claims warranted our suspension, were not investigated prior to the issuing of these sanctions. The censorship of our organization is a symptom of the larger systemic injustices that continue to marginalize pro-Palestinian voices. Let it be abundantly clear: we stand unwavering in our commitment to the liberation movement, our membership, and in solidarity with all marginalized groups. We see this suspension for exactly what it is, a precedent of repression at Rowan University. Our struggles are interconnected, and we resist this for the sake of all of our allies. We demand this suspension be lifted immediately and unconditionally. Student voices will not be silenced, repression will not be tolerated.
