Marching for peace: Students gather to raise awareness about Palestinian cause

A group of about 70 students recently gathered outside Admin B to protest the ongoing human rights violations in the Israeli-Palestinian war. Having marched across campus - chanting and singing about the Palestinian cause - the group assembled outside the building to "demand institutional accountability in supporting human rights".

The protest was organised by Student Action 4 Palestine (SA4P), together with the Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command (EFFSC), the South African Student Congress (SASCO) as well as the University of the Western Cape's Palestinian Solidarity Campaign.

A student-driven advocacy group, SA4P's main objectives include "educating the university about the genocide in Palestine and a demand for institutional accountability in supporting human rights", explained Hakeemah Matinka, one of the founding members of SA4P.

The aim is to push the university to take a principled stance against injustice and to call for an academic and cultural boycott of Israel. This sentiment was shared by the different speakers at the protest who drew attention to the need for justice to prevail for the Palestinian people.

"We are gathered here to acknowledge a struggle which has endured for decades, the struggle calls upon our deepest sense of justice, humanity and solidarity," said Avuzwa Gana, SASCO Chairperson.

In response to the call for solidarity, Asenaye Roro shared that he was at the protest "as a person who values the life of another person".

"We will sweat, we will fight, we will run, we will crawl and we will walk barefoot if need be until the people of Palestine are liberated,"Roro added, describing the depth of his commitment to the liberation of the Palestinian people.

The students in attendance accused the university of failing to uphold its own values outlined in Vision 2040. They called on the university to apply its values of excellence, compassion, accountability, respect and equity in its response to the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

"If we consider the institution's values, it is crucial for SU to take a stance on the genocide in Palestine," said Yaadein Padiachey, a BA Honours (Political Science) student.

"As an institution that played a role during apartheid South Africa, SU should hold other institutions and bodies that uphold apartheid-like practices accountable. By choosing not to condemn the genocide or participate in an academic boycott of Israeli institutions, SU is failing to honour accountability as one of its guiding values," she added.

The protest was part of the ongoing work by SA4P to "advocate for justice, equality and an end to the apartheid system in Gaza and Palestine". It came after earlier demonstrations by SA4P on 2 May of this year as well as an 'occupy Admin B' sit-in that took place inside the Admin B building on 17 May. During the demonstration, SA4P members handed in a memorandum to the SU Rectorate, requesting an academic boycott of Israel. According to SA4P, the response from the Rectorate did not address their demands.

"Despite SU's stance, we have continued to organise protests and host educational sessions and engage in dialogue to challenge this neutrality, which we believe equates to complicity," Matinka said.

Part of these efforts included SA4P's advocacy work amongst the student body. This included submitting a resolution to the Student Parliament in early September. Should it be accepted, the resolution would bind all student representative bodies to take a public position in solidarity with Palestine and adopt a "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions" (BDS) position regarding procurement, investment, and collaboration with Israeli institutions.

Support from a diversity of students has been a key feature of the different protests, indicating a universal commitment to human rights among the student body. John*, a BSc Honours (Computer Science) student from SU, said that it was important for him "as a member of the dominant demographic in a place like Stellenbosch to support their [SA4P] struggle, stand by them and show that they are not alone when going up against the university and asking them to divest and boycott" the war.

Reflecting on the protest and the work being done by students to raise awareness, Matinka was clear on the need for SU to do more. "Silence is not an option when it comes to human rights and by not taking a stance, the university is failing its students and its own legacy of fighting apartheid".

"We believe that neutrality in situations of oppression is a form of complicity. Our call to the university is quite simple, it must move beyond mere rhetoric and take concrete actions such as divesting. Firstly, acknowledging that it is a genocide and that it is not a 'situation' or 'conflict'. Remaining neutral only undermines its own legacy and alienates the students who expect it to be on the right side of history and human rights," she concluded.

*Not his real name

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