Rutgers Back to School – Police Take Hard Line Threatening Legally Assembled Students

Student Statement on Rutgers Police Repression:

Rutgers University’s recent developments of their so-called “Commitment to Free Expression and Academic Speech” along with their recent response, on September 16, with their pre-emptive militarization of excessive cop presence are declarations of war on its Students for Justice in Palestine— specifically putting their students of color at risk. On Monday, September 16 Rutgers University responded to our rally and teach-in with unwarranted police presence in ways threatening our academic right to express freedom of speech on campus. This comes in light of Rutgers University’s latest developments to impact student freedom of expression. In the name of their “Commitment to Free Expression and Academic Achievement” they have completely transformed their rules and policies in appeasement of a Zionist minority to silence our people’s call for freedom.1 On September 16, in light of the Rutgers administration’s failure to stay true to the May 2nd Agreement, suspension of our organization, and rejection of our divestment request, we launched a rally outside the Atrium in the College Avenue Student Center. We originally had planned to mark admin’s third strike, the rejection of the divestment request, with a sit-in at the College Ave Student Center. The university learned about our plans early and, in response, ordered the Rutgers University Police Department to create a checkpoint of metal barricades outside the
building. At the barricade, which was strikingly similar to an Israeli checkpoint in occupied Palestine, police refused to let anyone enter the Student Center without presenting their RUID and allowing their backpacks to be searched. Police and security were guarding the two main entrances to the building. According to Alex Kenny, a journalist at the Daily Targum, “ One individual who appeared to enter without one was quickly approached by multiple RUPD officers.” 2

In response to this new development, we shifted our sit-in to an emergency protest outside the College Ave Student Center, expressing our outrage at the disturbing cop presence and their preemptive response.3 Police soon ordered us to stop using megaphones and demanded that we move to the “public property portion of the sidewalk.” After the protest, we changed our sit-in location to the outside of the Alexander Library. We sat down together at a bench and began educating interested students on Palestine with a presentation that we had created. While an SJP member was describing their experiences and life in Gaza, an officer interrupted, telling us to disperse and that we were being “disorderly.”

Their response demonstrated flagrant dismissal of who we are as students and our right to civil disobedience and freedom of speech and protest. It should be noted that there were approximately 30 of us right by the side of the library entrance and not blocking the pathway as we were conducting our teach-in.

As many times as the Rutgers administration or RUPD has tried to suppress our voices, we remain perseverant, as the Palestinians of Gaza have given us the strength and courage to move forward and overcome all obstacles that come our way. As we were outside Alexander Library, we renamed our space “Khan Younis” in light of the Zionist Occupation’s bombardment in the city and outrage at the tragedy of Israel’s massacre in the Al-Mawasi refugee camp. The occupation forces dropped at least four 2,000-pound bombs on tents in Al-Mawasi despite the area being inhabited by an estimated 1 million Palestinians and declared a “humanitarian zone.”

At least 40 Palestinians were murdered in this attack and 60 were injured. Among the murdered was 2-year-old Omar Ashour. Omar’s 50-pound body was vaporized by one of the U.S.-manufactured bombs, disintegrating his bones and organs in the blink of an eye. His family has not been able to find a single fragment of Omar to honor and mourn his short time on this earth. Our sit-in was not only a declaration against the Rutgers administration but also a place of mourning for Omar. We hold the Rutgers administration complicit in the death of Omar and countless others for shamelessly ignoring its student body’s calls from divestment of Israel’s settler-colonialism, apartheid, and genocide.

Rutgers University’s latest developments to impact student freedom of expression as described by President Holloway’s statement, “Commitment to Free Expression and Academic Achievement,” have completely transformed their rules and policies in appeasement of a Zionist minority to silence our people’s call for freedom, along with their recent repressive response, the Rutgers Administration were declarations of war on their, own, students. 4

The Rutgers Administration can cower behind their Zionist minority, but our commitment to the Palestinian people remains resolute. We remain steadfast in our calls for divestment from Israeli apartheid, settler colonialism, & genocide, as well as the termination of Rutgers’ partnership with Tel Aviv University including within the New Jersey Innovation and Technology hub.

1 Rutgers’ Commitment to Free Expression and Academic Achievement Latest Developments at Rutgers NB impact student freedom of expression

2. SJP protests amid suspension following divestment request rejection

3, Emergency Rally

4..Rutgers’ Commitment to Free Expression and Academic Achievement
Latest Developments at Rutgers NB impact student freedom of expression
U.S. universities spent the summer strategizing to suppress student activism. Here is their plan. –
Mondoweiss

5 We will continue the struggle no matter what obstacles we face.