Friday, May 24, 2024

State Repression and Palestine Solidarity

 

Wayne State University Michigan student activism Palestine solidarity Detroit Gaza genocide encampment ethnic cleansing Zionism racism Islamophobia oppression white supremacy dehumanization discrimination academia civil rights

A nationally coordinated effort to shut down Palestine solidarity encampments across the United States on university and college campuses has further exposed the links between imperialism and the ongoing genocide which has resulted in the deaths of more than 35,000 people over the last seven months.

President Joe Biden has repeatedly stated that the U.S. ruling class and governmental support for the State of Israel remains “ironclad.”

Such comments reflect clearly the indispensable role of the Zionist state in the overall geostrategic interests of the U.S. and its allies within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Biden administration attempts to rationalize the unconditional assistance to Tel Aviv saying that the settlers have “no place else to go” while never expressing any sympathy for the plight of Palestinians living under the domination of the Zionist government for 76 years.

The position of the current administration in Washington has alienated it from many people domestically within the rubric of the Democratic Party electorate. A campaign to abandon Biden through voting “uncommitted” in the primary elections was born in the state of Michigan which has a large Arab and Muslim American population.

This campaign, initially labelled “Listen to Michigan”, garnered 101,000 votes during the primary elections in March. The same pattern has continued in other states, particularly those considered essential for a Democratic Party victory over former President Donald Trump in November.

Despite these rapidly unfolding developments on an electoral and mass level, the Biden White House along with the majority of politicians in both Houses of Congress have refused to heed the calls of the students and workers for an immediate ceasefire as well as a radical shift in U.S. foreign policy towards the Palestinians. It appears that the administration is willing to risk its own prospects for reelection rather than endanger the imperialist objectives in West Asia and North Africa.

On May 20, police at the aegis of the University of Michigan administration, tore down the Palestine solidarity encampment which had existed for several weeks. The removal of the encampment and solidarity activists at U-M represents a pattern implemented from California to Texas and New York state.  (more...)

State Repression and Palestine Solidarity


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