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April 30, 2024

NIAC Joins 180+ Organizations to Call on U.S. Universities to End Crackdown on Student Protests in Solidarity with Gaza

Washington, DC – NIAC was one among over 180 organizations in a letter today calling on U.S. universities to end the crackdown on campus protests and encampments demanding an end to the war in Gaza.

These students, who are exercising their right to protest peacefully amid an atmosphere of pressure, intimidation, and even physical retaliation, have organized encampments across the country to make clear that they want an end to the war, a safe environment for Palestinians on their respective campuses and their universities to divest from corporations that profit from Israel’s occupation and siege on Gaza. 

However, in response to their organizing and demands, several universities have chosen to deploy police – and even threaten to send for the National Guard – to disband the encampments, resulting in brutal physical exchanges as well as the reported arrest of more than 900 students. 

At a critical moment after nearly seven months of indiscriminate bombardment in Gaza, it is imperative that we amplify the arduous yet impactful work that university students are leading, ensure their safety, and join them in continuing to press for a permanent ceasefire. 

Signers of the letter include Arab American Institute, Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow Movement, MPower Change, Movement for Black Lives, U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, and more. 

The letter has been reported by The Huffington Post, Semafor, The Hill and Al Jazeera.

Read the full letter, included below:

Statement in solidarity with student protests for Gaza

We, the undersigned organizations, stand in solidarity with the students nationwide and globally who are bravely protesting in encampments and otherwise to condemn Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza–actions which human rights organizations, a federal U.S. court, and the International Court of Justice have said “plausibly” constitute genocide.

We commend the 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. 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.

We join them in calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire and an end to the U.S. government’s and institutions’ role in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

As we stand in solidarity with the students protesting in encampments across the country, we reaffirm our commitment to amplifying their voices, condemn the university administration officials’ violent response to their activism, and demand that universities remove the presence of police and other militarized forces from their campuses.

In solidarity,

350.org US

18 Million Rising

198 methods

Adalah Justice Project

Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association

AF3IRM

Afghans For A Better Tomorrow

Al-Haq

Alliance of Baptists

American Baptist Churches USA

American Baptist Churches Palestine Israel Network

American Friends Service Committee

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)

American Muslim Bar Association

American Muslim Community Foundation

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)

Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action)

Arab American Civic Council

Arab American Institute

Asian American Advocacy Fund

Better to Speak

Beyt Tikkun: A Synagogue without Walls

Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU)

Blue Future

Borderlands for Equity

Borderlands Resource Initiative

Breach Collective

Brooklyn For Peace

CAIR Action

CAIR California

CAIR Minnesota

CAIR Oklahoma

CAIR-WA

California Coalition for Women Prisoners

Cameroon American Council

Carceral Tech Resistance Network

Ceasefire Democrats

Ceasefire Now NJ

Center for Constitutional Rights

Center for Popular Democracy Action

Center for Protest Law & Litigation @ Partnership for Civil Justice Fund

Chicago Area Peace Action

Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy

Christians for a Free Palestine

Civic Ark

Civil Liberties Defense Center

Clockshop

CommonDefense.us

Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP)

Council on American-Islamic Relations

CWA-News Guild Local 38010

Defending Rights & Dissent

Delaware Democratic Socialists of America

Delawareans for Palestinian Human Rights

Detention Watch Network

Disciples Palestine Israel Network

Diverse & Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM)

Doctors Against Genocide

Dream Defenders

Dutch Scholars for Palestine

Eindhoven Students 4 Palestine

Emgage Action

En Conjunto

Episcopal Peace Fellowship-Palestine Israel Network

Faith for Black Lives

Faith in Texas

Fellowship of Reconciliation

Fight for the Future

For All

Freedom Farm Community

Freedom Oklahoma

Freedom To Thrive

Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)

Future Coalition

Gen-Z for Change

Gender Justice Action and Gender Justice

Get Free

Global Campaign to Reclaim People's Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power & Stop

Impunity

Green Mountain Solidarity With Palestine

Green New Deal Network

Greenpeace USA

Hawai'i for Palestine

Health Justice Commons

Helena (Montana) Service for Peace and Justice

Highlander Research and Education Center

Hindus for Human Rights

Historians for Peace and Democracy

Human Dignity Project (THDP)

IfNotNow Movement

IfNotNow New Jersey

Immigrant Defense Project

Immigrant Justice Network

Immigrants Act Now

Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC)

Indiana Center for Middle East Peace

Institute for Policy Studies New Internationalism Project

Interfaith Ceasefire

International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network

International Mayan League

InterReligious Task Force on Central America

Iowans For Palestine

Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)

Islamophobia Studies Center

Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Jewish Voice for Peace

Jewish Voice for Peace-Hawai’i

Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ)

Just Foreign Policy

Justice Democrats

Just Futures Law

Justice for All

Kairos USA

Libyan American Alliance

LittleSis / Public Accountability Initiative

Living Water Inclusive Catholic Community

Long Island Progressive Coalition

Make the Road Nevada

Malaya Georgia

Massachusetts Peace Action

Mennonite Action

Mennonite Action WA

Migrant Roots Media

Minnesota Peace Project

Mondoweiss

Movement for Black Lives

MPower Change Action Fund

MSA West

Muslim Advocates

Muslim Community Network

Muslim Counterpublics Lab

Muslim Power Building Project

Muslims for Just Futures

Muslims for Progressive Values

National Arab American Women’s Association (NAAWA)

National Iranian American Council

National Lawyers Guild

National Lawyers Guild – St. Louis Chapter

National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR)

National Partnership for New Americans

New Hampshire Veterans for Peace

New York City Veterans For Peace

The New Justice Project Minnesota

NH Peace Action

North American Students of Cooperation

No Separate Justice

North Carolina Peace Action

The Oakland Institute

Office of Peace, Justice, and Ecological Integrity/Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth

Our Revolution

Palestine American League

Palestine Legal

Palestinian American Community Center

Palestinian American Organizations Network (PAON)

Palestinian Feminist Collective

Partners for Palestine

Pax Christi New Jersey

Pax Christi New York State

Pax Christi Pacific Northwest

Pax Christi USA

Peace Action

Peace Action New York State

Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW!

Pediatricians for Palestine

People’s Action

PeoplesHub

Poverty Project at the Institute for Policy Studies

Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness

Presbyterian Peace Fellowship

Progressive Democrats of America (PDA)

Project ANAR

Project South

Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice

Reparation Education Project

Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment

Rise for Palestine

Rising Majority

Rising Tide North America

Rochester Committee on Latin America

RootsAction Education Fund

Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre

Sacramento Regional Coalition for Palestinian Rights

Sound Vision

Starr King School for the Ministry

Students and Faculty for Justice in Palestine at the University of Hawai’i (SFJP)

Sunrise Movement

Sur Legal Collaborative

TakeAction Minnesota

Tech Justice Law Project

The Gathering for Justice

The Hague Peace Projects

The Social Justice Center

The Uncommitted National Movement

The Whatcom Peace and Justice Center

Transnational Institute

UndocuBlack Network

Unitarian Universalist Association

Unitarian Universalist Church of the Larger Fellowship

Unitarian Universalist College of Social Justice

Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of North Carolina

Unitarian Universalist Mass Action

Unitarian Universalist Peace Ministry Network

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

Unitarian Universalist Young Adults for Climate Justice (UUYACJ)

Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East

United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network

United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR)

United Voices for America

Until Freedom

US Campaign for Palestinian Rights

Veterans For Peace

We Are All America

Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club

Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center

Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press

Working Families Party

World BEYOND War

Young Democrats of America Black Caucus

Young Democrats of America Environmental Caucus

Youth Leadership Institute

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