- Students at the U of W have postponed their planned solidarity camp in Gaza because it was not ‘centered’ on enough Muslim and Arab students
- The encampment is believed to have been one of dozens spread across the country as governments are challenged to respond effectively
Pro-Palestinian students at the University of Washington announced their plans to postpone Thursday’s solidarity camp in Gaza because it involved too many white students.
The Pacific Northwest group had been criticized for failing to involve enough Muslim and Arab students in the encampment’s planning.
The disruptive demonstration was scheduled to take place Thursday morning at Seattle University, where the government told members of the Jewish community that they did not plan to intervene unless “the event escalates and endangers life safety,” the spokesperson said. My Northwest.
Without significant threats from those in charge of the institution, the students chose to postpone the protest to “ensure that this encampment better reflects the UW community and has even greater unity with Muslim, Palestinian and Arab students.’
“We want to be part of a much larger coalition of groups and make no mistake, WE WILL HAVE A UW CAMP! We want to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and that this action is as safe and strong as possible, according to a post on the school’s Progressive Student Union Instagram.
University of Washington students postponed their planned solidarity camp in Gaza because it was not ‘centered’ on enough Muslim and Arab students
Commenters claiming to be students sharply criticized the PSU for its inability to effectively organize the protest and recruit enough Muslim and Arab students to the efforts taking place in the notoriously white and liberal area of Seattle.
‘I really hope that this time you take the right safety measures and learn what operational safety means. Without prioritizing the safety of all students involved, the action is hollow and reckless,” one user wrote.
‘These problems occur repeatedly and have a negative impact on you. Please do better and actually get security training and have procedures in place.”
“What about all those people who want this to happen as quickly as possible? Announcing this and then withdrawing is irresponsible. You have endangered people who decide to show up because they haven’t seen this slide,” wrote user Bailee McCauley, who apparently remained in favor of moving forward with protest plans, while others argued for the event’s total cancellation.
“Please listen to the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim students who criticize this event and cancel it,” wrote a user named Sofie.
A user named Jess Schutz harpooned the entire effort, writing, “Y’all need to learn basic organizational skills, seriously, this is so incredibly opportunistic it’s insane!! LISTEN to our concerns. listen to Arab and Muslim students. do not announce these types of actions in advance.
‘Postponing this event is not enough: let super/uf/your jvp organize and announce these kinds of actions. your reputation as an organization promotes and contributes to the events you organize and endorse.’
Clearly, this isn’t the first time UW’s PSU has failed to adhere to the laws of intersectionality when planning an event or demonstration.
Dozens of protesters were cleared from the UW building as pro-Palestinian protests continue to unfold across the country
Students sharply criticized the PSU for its inability to effectively organize the protest and recruit enough Muslim and Arab students to the effort in Seattle’s notoriously white and liberal area.
The Columbia encampment, which launched last week in New York City, has sparked similar demonstrations on college campuses across the country, including those at Yale, Boston and Michigan universities.
The Washington State campus is yet another area where progressive students see an opportunity to set up an encampment that will undoubtedly disrupt university life.
On Thursday, students in Austin and SoCal also clashed with authorities trying to break up the demonstrations.