May 20, 2025 by V Leigh

University of Michigan students and faculty who are speaking out against genocide have faced threats, firings, and felony charges. But they’re not backing down. Free speech doesn’t end on campus and we won’t stay silent about selective repression.

University of Michigan students and faculty who are speaking out against genocide have faced threats, firings, and felony charges. But they’re not backing down. Free speech doesn’t end on campus and we won’t stay silent about selective repression. pic.twitter.com/RiR3DjItHe
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) May 8, 2025

Student Hunger Strikes for Gaza Continue; UCLA Activist Hospitalized After 9 Days Without Food https://t.co/UvCf12nq3X
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) May 19, 2025

Republicans’ real issue is with free speech and education—not addressing antisemitism and other forms of hatred on college campuses.

Suppressing the right to protest is an entry point for the erosion of civil liberties.

We must fight against it. pic.twitter.com/8LuKFvrhIx
— Rep. Summer Lee (@RepSummerLee) May 7, 2025

No one should be punished for peaceful protest; no one should be threatened for exercising free speech; and no one should be deported for speaking out for human rights. All students should feel like they belong on their campus and are free to be themselves without being harassed…
— Amnesty International USA (@amnestyusa) May 17, 2025

“Fascism Isn’t Coming, It’s Here”: Mehdi Hasan on Trump, Gaza & Leaving … https://t.co/xVr3LBC1lF via @YouTube
— glenn robinson (he/him) (@glncv) May 8, 2025

March 21, 2025 by V Leigh

“My name is Mahmoud Khalil and I am a political prisoner. I am writing to you from a detention facility in Louisiana where I wake to cold mornings and spend long days bearing witness to the quiet injustices underway against . many people precluded from the protections of the law”

“My name is Mahmoud Khalil and I am a political prisoner. I am writing to you from a detention facility in Louisiana where I wake to cold mornings and spend long days bearing witness to the quiet injustices underway against . many people precluded from the protections of the law” pic.twitter.com/klDxlbMwby
— Adil Haque (@AdHaque110) March 18, 2025

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NEW—Khalil’s wife, Noor:
“This felt like a kidnapping because it was: Officers in plainclothes — who refused to show us a warrant, speak with our attorney, or even tell us their names — forced my husband into an unmarked car and took him”

Didn’t know where he was for 38 hours https://t.co/PXjyK8LOio pic.twitter.com/rMUv54FwGR
— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) March 14, 2025

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Watching this is beyond chilling. Plain clothes officers, no warrant, no names, no alleged crimes. Just snatched from a residence hall while his wife looks on helplessly. All for the crime of criticizing a foreign govt bombing babies. https://t.co/WFgQXj6I6V
— Krystal Ball (@krystalball) March 15, 2025

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NEW: Family of Mahmoud Khalil just released footage of his arrest

“Stop resisting”
“He’s not resisting” pic.twitter.com/yry9ofzWIW
— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) March 14, 2025

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Seeing how Mahmoud Khalil was detained is unreal.

A guy wearing an Avengers shirt from an unnamed agency says “we have you,” they refuse to give their names and it seems he has no rights to be read while being arrested, all while his pregnant wife watches.pic.twitter.com/fPJnbz4okW
— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) March 14, 2025

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“If you find yourself believing whatever someone tells you about Mahmoud just because he is Palestinian … I can only implore you to scrutinize your own soul,” Columbia University prof. Joseph Howley said following a hearing regarding Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest and detention. pic.twitter.com/Gn4RdTZBhY
— AJ+ (@ajplus) March 18, 2025

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2000+ Jewish professors, staff, students circulating letter on Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest:

“We hold various views…But we are united in denouncing…anyone who invokes our name—and cynical claims of antisemitism—to harass, expel, arrest, or deport members of our campus communities.” pic.twitter.com/ZxEjmXOw7v
— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) March 18, 2025

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March 13, 2025 by V Leigh

If the federal government can disappear a legal US permanent resident without reason or warrant, then they can disappear US citizens too. Anyone – left, right, or center – who has highlighted the importance of constitutional rights + free speech should be sounding the alarm now.

If the federal government can disappear a legal US permanent resident without reason or warrant, then they can disappear US citizens too.

Anyone – left, right, or center – who has highlighted the importance of constitutional rights + free speech should be sounding the alarm now. https://t.co/mwgjIDQjZ4
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 10, 2025

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Mahmoud Khalil is Trump’s first political prisoner. They charged him with the “crime” of being antisemitic. There is no such crime. In America, you’re allowed to think or say anything you like. And they have no evidence he was antisemitic. He was arrested for criticizing Israel.
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) March 10, 2025

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🚨 BREAKING! New Yorkers rally outside of Mahmoud Khalil’s court conference in NYC. pic.twitter.com/E6sU4ProlV
— The People’s Forum (@PeoplesForumNYC) March 12, 2025

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Trump revoked Mahmoud Khalil’s legal status over his decision to speak out—which isn’t a crime.

Every Member of Congress should be outraged at this blatant erosion of our constitutional rights.

We are beyond just a slippery slope. pic.twitter.com/ipCE7Caxn8
— Rep. Summer Lee (@RepSummerLee) March 11, 2025

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I’m joining 13 of my colleagues to demand that the Trump Administration immediately releases Mahmoud Khalil. Their illegal actions set a dangerous precedent. We cannot allow them to shred our constitutional rights to free speech and due process. Free Mahmoud Khalil. pic.twitter.com/G9YxBeDZvh
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) March 11, 2025

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Donald Trump is now threatening to cut federal funding for schools that allow “illegal protests” and imprison “agitators.” This dangerous rhetoric undermines free speech and the right to protest — core principles of democracy and our constitutional rights. https://t.co/F6hhvRGUmE
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) March 4, 2025

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If its not antisemitism when Columbia let alt right Nazis speak on its campus, but somehow is antisemitism when people peacefully protested genocide of Palestinians on Columbia’s campus—then you’ll have to stop pretending it was ever actually about antisemitism.
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) March 8, 2025

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ICE Acting Director Tom Homan comments on arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, saying “free speech has limitations” pic.twitter.com/LYSI21bw5N
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) March 12, 2025

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August 20, 2024 by V Leigh

Black liberation and Palestinian liberation are connected. How? The elected officials who are sending bombs to kill Palestinians are the same elected officials who choose to uphold oppressive systems and defund our communities. These decisions are rooted in a lack of empathy.

Black liberation and Palestinian liberation are connected.

How?

The elected officials who are sending bombs to kill Palestinians are the same elected officials who choose to uphold oppressive systems and defund our communities.

These decisions are rooted in a lack of empathy.
— Nina Turner (@ninaturner) August 15, 2024

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Hundreds of years later, we correctly recognize what happened to the Indigenous people of the Americas as settler genocide. But it’s very clear that many of you would have called them terrorists for fighting to hold on to their land.
— GNCordova (@GNCordova) August 11, 2024

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Black and Palestinian solidarity. #palestine #blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/hJZ8rDvVz4
— zellie (@zellieimani) May 12, 2021

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stop what you are doing & read this gorgeous essay uplifting June Jordan’s model of unwavering, unapologetic Black feminist solidarity with Palestine. thank you @m_myglory for helping us turn to the archive of struggle in this pivotal moment 🙏🏾https://t.co/wyQGbiKErF
— Savannah Shange (@savannahshange) August 13, 2024

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May 14, 2024 by V Leigh

Senator Sanders: “When we talk about college campuses, I want everybody to know there are no protests on college campuses in Gaza. You know why? Because every one of the 12 universities in Gaza has been bombed and destroyed.”

Senator Sanders: “When we talk about college campuses, I want everybody to know there are no protests on college campuses in Gaza. You know why? Because every one of the 12 universities in Gaza has been bombed and destroyed.” pic.twitter.com/wxsMxpI9n8
— Jeremy Slevin (@jeremyslevin) May 8, 2024

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Barry Blitt for the win on the state of American higher education right now pic.twitter.com/eelRsgYQcq
— 🍉Prof. Thrasher is with our students🔻 (@thrasherxy) May 10, 2024

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HIND’S HALL Now Available on Streaming. All Proceeds to UNRWA. https://t.co/daXnWRmBHE pic.twitter.com/J0Ft6wjuSv
— Macklemore (@macklemore) May 10, 2024

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A comic on being silenced. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/Ms6ShEA4oc
— 張嘉欣 🇵🇸 (@Kaitoonist) May 9, 2024

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Leaving this here 👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/dZ6GsYDkBw
— Nina Turner (@ninaturner) May 6, 2024

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“The students don’t know what they’re talking about”

The students: pic.twitter.com/S49k31sMCg
— Read Let This Radicalize You (@JoshuaPHilll) May 7, 2024

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Black Americans experience the most hate crimes of any group in America. They live at the bottom of every indicator of well being. They face rampant and documented discrimination in employment, housing, you name it. I really wish pundits discussing campus protests and…
— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) May 6, 2024

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Student protests calling for an end to the war in Gaza and universities’ investment in companies that support Israel’s occupation of Palestine are not slowing down. Salma Hamamy of the University of Michigan describes disrupting the school’s graduation ceremony on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/Yrw6CuRabb
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) May 6, 2024

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Over the weekend, anti-war protesters disrupted several college graduation ceremonies, including one involving comedian Jerry Seinfeld at Duke University. https://t.co/MzPVDqpCse pic.twitter.com/YTZpcTS0sm
— ABC News (@ABC) May 13, 2024

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Students who walked out of a commencement ceremony in Duke University to protest its guest speaker, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, held a makeshift graduation ceremony and continued to chant, “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.” https://t.co/45odJdpo1i
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) May 14, 2024

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May 7, 2024 by V Leigh

In the center of campus now devoid of students and filled instead with hundreds of police officers, the NYPD’s leadership raised the American flag, to the cheers of police in riot gear. A dispatch from a dark night at City College for @HellGateNY

In the center of campus now devoid of students and filled instead with hundreds of police officers, the NYPD’s leadership raised the American flag, to the cheers of police in riot gear.

A dispatch from a dark night at City College for @HellGateNY. https://t.co/mAvq8QWxxe
— Max RN (@MaxRivlinNadler) May 1, 2024

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All these grown ass men with full body armor, weapons and military vehicles against kids with signs and a real cause. Every last one of those NYPD entering campus is an embarrassment to the city and the country. Weak, stupid, followers who deserve neither a salary nor any…
— Samuel Sinyangwe (@samswey) May 1, 2024

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Columbia are using the NYPD to place all of their students on house arrest. This is martial law being imposed on the people of New York for the benefit of a foreign government. https://t.co/MJILCV6wxb
— P.B. Gomez (@pbgomez_) May 1, 2024

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It’s so incredibly clear that the police stood aside and let a pro Israeli lynch mob run wild at UCLA. They did nothing for two hours as violent Zionists assaulted students, launched fireworks into the encampment, and sprayed mace on students. pic.twitter.com/kyT4mOLbMk
— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) May 1, 2024

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Absolutely deranged comment from an elected official https://t.co/nrcLktfYPb
— The Debt Collective 🟥 (@StrikeDebt) April 25, 2024

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Stop calling young people lazy, ambivalent, and disinterested. They are showing us now that they are sick and tired.

These young people witnessed the killing of Trayvon Martin, the shooting of Malala Yousafzai, the killings at Parkland High, COVID, and Trump.

THEY ARE FED UP.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) April 26, 2024

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In his letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, Jr., told us the white moderate “is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice” and said this is someone who “prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice.” https://t.co/Uxs1VkkNHd
— William C. (@williamcson) May 2, 2024

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This is what UT students are protesting

Don’t manipulate the narrative https://t.co/foW7FLqGNN
— Sam Musubi (@SamAllega) April 24, 2024

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March 5, 2024 by V Leigh

Let us never forget the extraordinary courage and commitment of brother Aaron Bushnell who died for truth and justice! I pray for his precious loved ones! Let us rededicate ourselves to genuine solidarity with Palestinians undergoing genocidal attacks in real time! #AaronBushnell #FreePalestine

Let us never forget the extraordinary courage and commitment of brother Aaron Bushnell who died for truth and justice! I pray for his precious loved ones! Let us rededicate ourselves to genuine solidarity with Palestinians undergoing genocidal attacks in real time!… pic.twitter.com/9F7dXOAYJt
— Cornel West (@CornelWest) February 26, 2024

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The last words of Aaron Bushnell before he set fire to himself outside the Israeli embassy in Washington – Free Palestine. pic.twitter.com/brRTw7nAvU
— Krime (@krime_1) February 26, 2024

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US VETERANS BURN THEIR UNIFORMS

AT AARON BUSHNELL’S VIGIL

Source: @AlissaAzar pic.twitter.com/Mhf3iJEpUU
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) February 29, 2024

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AARON BUSHNELL WANTS HIS ASHES SCATTERED IN A FREE PALESTINE

Aaron Bushnell’s will:

“If a time comes when Palestinians regain control of their land, and if the people native to the land would be open to the possibility, I would love for my ashes to be scattered in a free… pic.twitter.com/38foPa3SkX
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) February 29, 2024

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The Life & Death of Aaron Bushnell: U.S. Airman Self-Immolates Protestin… https://t.co/0EHwUxM8Ub via @YouTube
— glenn robinson (he/him) (@glncv) February 29, 2024

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Posters in memory of Aaron Bushnell & in solidarity with the Palestinian people, seen in Flatbush, Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/LBSAKVHU1F
— Radical Graffiti (@GraffitiRadical) March 1, 2024

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November 15, 2023 by V Leigh

We will never ever forgive you for making Palestinians hold up their dead children in front of a camera just to prove Israel’s atrocities. They can’t even mourn in private because you won’t even believe them in the worst moments of their life. Israel kills them and you doubt them

We will never ever forgive you for making Palestinians hold up their dead children in front of a camera just to prove Israel’s atrocities. They can’t even mourn in private because you won’t even believe them in the worst moments of their life. Israel kills them and you doubt them
— Farah-Silvana Kanaan (@farahkanaan) November 5, 2023

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Cops remove pics of Palestinians murdered by Israel outside WH:
pic.twitter.com/0Fwe90jTWT
— Bint (@PalBint) November 5, 2023

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View the first part of the stream from the pro-Palestine march in Philadelphia on Saturday night. Second part is above. 📽️

Thread: https://t.co/oqm26cJziK
More: https://t.co/vUPextfaU7 https://t.co/iWb9HsVdyv
— UNICORN RIOT (@UR_Ninja) October 29, 2023

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“What is going on today in our name as American citizens is genocide.”

Tens of thousands of people marched in Washington, DC, to protest Israel’s killing of nearly 10,000 people in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/OOamJ6MHkY
— AJ+ (@ajplus) November 4, 2023

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About 300,000 people attended the pro-Palestine march in London demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

— in pictures https://t.co/ItQszqBOMG pic.twitter.com/hkskWPSsCK
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) November 11, 2023

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Pro-Palestine march will be one of UK’s biggest ever protests, organisers predict https://t.co/CCKWD5FSdJ
— Guardian news (@guardiannews) November 10, 2023

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“You can come with your kippahs and you’ll face nothing but love from the people here.”
Jewish protester, Maudi, who attended the pro-Palestine march in London on Saturday encouraged fellow Jews to show their support and attend demonstrations while wearing their kippahs pic.twitter.com/6tz4CdldSl
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) November 11, 2023

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January 21, 2022 by V Leigh

So inspired by our young activists who are putting in the work to transform this world

Stories about Black Lives Matter Global Network co-founder Patrisse Cullors’ finances and other criticism had one aim, she said.

“It wasn’t just a character assassination campaign,” Cullors said, “but a campaign to actually get me assassinated.” https://t.co/i1zY6krkmV
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) January 13, 2022

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So inspired by our young activists who are putting in the work to transform this world and make OUR Dr. King proud!
Go THANDIWE ABDULLAH of @BLMLAYOUTH!#YouthVanguard #ReclaimMLK #RadicalKing https://t.co/iEyIX6IJAa
— Black Lives Matter (@Blklivesmatter) January 20, 2022

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A year later, SFPD broke the law and illegally tapped into a network of 400 surveillance cameras to spy on Black Lives Matter protesters.

Activists like @HopeUniteHere fought back, teaming up with us and @EFF to sue the city. https://t.co/2aYK2lBLjG
— ACLU of Northern CA (@ACLU_NorCal) January 19, 2022

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June 23, 2021 by V Leigh

Policy and Protest

Lake Highlands High School valedictorian Paxton Smith used her 3-minute speech to attack Texas’ new restrictive abortion law after making a last-minute speech switch.
It’s now gone viral. Tonight on @wfaa, you’ll get to hear from her about everything that’s happened since. pic.twitter.com/ShRwHZjDbZ
— William Joy (@WilliamJoy) June 2, 2021

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Now that we’ve celebrated Juneteenth, it’s time to:

– Pass reparations
– End the War on Drugs
– End voter suppression
– End police violence
– Fund housing
– Fund education
– Fund health care
– Teach the truth about our history

We need full liberation along with celebration.
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) June 21, 2021

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The same week Congress passed a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, conservatives across the country are trying to pass legislation banning education about race in schools. @MTVNEWS’ @Dometi_ has what you #NeedToKnow. pic.twitter.com/7czIkAMG1r
— MTV (@MTV) June 19, 2021

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After Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a sweeping voting rights bill to counter a wave of state-level ballot restrictions, Democrats reaffirmed their resolve to fight in Congress for voting protections. https://t.co/BC0RITbxQy
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 23, 2021

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Oppression Monitor Daily

A Community Village Site

activism

University of Michigan students and faculty who are speaking out against genocide have faced threats, firings, and felony charges. But they’re not backing down. Free speech doesn’t end on campus and we won’t stay silent about selective repression.

“My name is Mahmoud Khalil and I am a political prisoner. I am writing to you from a detention facility in Louisiana where I wake to cold mornings and spend long days bearing witness to the quiet injustices underway against . many people precluded from the protections of the law”

If the federal government can disappear a legal US permanent resident without reason or warrant, then they can disappear US citizens too. Anyone – left, right, or center – who has highlighted the importance of constitutional rights + free speech should be sounding the alarm now.

Black liberation and Palestinian liberation are connected. How? The elected officials who are sending bombs to kill Palestinians are the same elected officials who choose to uphold oppressive systems and defund our communities. These decisions are rooted in a lack of empathy.

Senator Sanders: “When we talk about college campuses, I want everybody to know there are no protests on college campuses in Gaza. You know why? Because every one of the 12 universities in Gaza has been bombed and destroyed.”

In the center of campus now devoid of students and filled instead with hundreds of police officers, the NYPD’s leadership raised the American flag, to the cheers of police in riot gear. A dispatch from a dark night at City College for @HellGateNY

Let us never forget the extraordinary courage and commitment of brother Aaron Bushnell who died for truth and justice! I pray for his precious loved ones! Let us rededicate ourselves to genuine solidarity with Palestinians undergoing genocidal attacks in real time! #AaronBushnell #FreePalestine

We will never ever forgive you for making Palestinians hold up their dead children in front of a camera just to prove Israel’s atrocities. They can’t even mourn in private because you won’t even believe them in the worst moments of their life. Israel kills them and you doubt them

So inspired by our young activists who are putting in the work to transform this world

Policy and Protest