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Thursday 11 July 2024 - 01:50

US Student Sings Protest Song in Solidarity with Palestine after Arrest

Story Code : 1147026
US Student Sings Protest Song in Solidarity with Palestine after Arrest
“I literally just got out of jail like an hour and a half ago, and there was one song that we were singing all the time in there," said Noor. "We are here, we are strong. They can mace us, they can brutalize us, they can pepper spray us, but the movement is here, it is stronger than ever. Our energy hasn’t dissipated, in fact, it has come back 10 times stronger.”

The protest, part of a 14-day encampment at George Washington University, saw demonstrators arrested in the early morning hours as DC Police began breaking up the encampment. WUSA9 reported on the scene as police removed tents from University Yard and the university erected barriers after clearing the area.

A senior at GWU, who witnessed the clashes, expressed sympathy for the protesters. "I feel bad for most of these protesters," he said. "They were peacefully protesting. Honestly, I feel this was more the university's fault. The university was really trying to antagonize these people, make them out to be the villains."

Despite a letter from university president Ellen Granberg calling the protests unlawful, students continued their encampment, pushing back against the administration. Their demands included divesting from corporations involved in the genocidal war in Gaza, making all investments transparent, protecting pro-Palestinian speech on campus, and dropping charges against pro-Palestinian protesters.

Noor, one of those arrested, criticized the university's response. She stated that the escalated police presence was unnecessary and that administrators refused to negotiate, accusing them of being complicit in “genocide.”

“No matter how brutalized we are, no matter how much cop presence we have, it is nothing compared to what is happening in Palestine,” Noor said.

“We will not lose eyes of our compass in Palestine,” Noor emphasized. “That is the forefront of our struggle. And we will not allow some arrests to get in the way of that.”

The recent protests at George Washington University reflect a larger trend of college campus activism across the nation, with students remaining steadfast in their solidarity with Palestine despite institutional pushback, as more than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli brutal offensive in the Gaza Strip since October 7.
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