The Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) of Sri Lanka, condemned the violent repression and arrests of hundreds of university students across America.
“We unconditionally stand alongside fellow university students and faculty in the US, in their fight to free Palestine. We reiterate their calls for their universities to divest from Israel, thereby stopping their supporting of the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people, and to ensure an amnesty to all students and faculty arrested, or facing disciplinary action in connection with these protests. Join the fight! Free Palestine,” the IUSF said in a statement, Friday.
The demonstrators are calling for an end to the US-backed, Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people, and for their universities to divest from direct investments in companies doing business in, or with Israel.
Some universities such as Yale, for example, are calling for the divestment from military weapons manufacturers that aid Israel’s siege on Gaza.
At the University of Columbia, students are targeting tech companies such as Google, which has a cloud computing deal with the Government of Israel.
Since the 17th of April, when students from the Ivy League, University of Columbia, set up Gaza Solidarity Encampments on their university lawn, students from several other universities across America have followed suit.
Among them are other Ivy League universities like Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, UPenn, who have joined the fight to Free Palestine. Over 1000 students have been arrested from across the USA since April 17.
In a particularly violent crackdown, the Atlanta police used tear gas, tasers and allegedly rubber bullets, to break up the Gaza Encampment at Emory University, Georgia. The Police had even wrestled down an Emory Professor, pinned her to the ground, and arrested her. Another professor too was violently arrested, along with many students.
Green Party Presidential Candidate, Jill Stein was also violently arrested from a protest at Washington University this week.
Protesting students in the US have vowed that they will continue protesting till their demands are met, and that arrests and violent repression will only help mobilise more students to the movement.
The IUSF called on the American Government to stop the violent repression of protesting university students and faculty. (Colombo Gazette)
