Disclaimer: The students who participated in the Students for Justice in Palestine protest requested to remain anonymous because of personal safety issues.
Students for Justice in Palestine held a protest by the Victory Salute statues on campus Thursday afternoon.
Students for Justice in Palestine is a campus-based nonprofit organization at San José State that advocates for the human rights of Palestinians, according to its Instagram bio.
The demonstration was a response to the recent events in the Israel-Hamas war and Israel’s siege of Gaza.
In the Gaza Strip, 2,750 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes as of Oct. 7, according to a Oct. 16 Reuters article.
Over 423,000 Palestinians have been displaced from their homes as of Oct. 7, according to an Oct. 14 United Nations press release.
A junior student at San José State and a member for Students for Justice in Palestine said she was nervous to speak at the protest because she thought the protest could be perceived as malicious.
“It just feels like we're not really understood and I'm really nervous of getting in trouble,” the junior said. “We’re literally forced to hide our identities while they (people who support Israel) can walk around showing their faces because they're not in any kind of trouble like we are.”
The junior said this concept of being a misunderstood group is what they have to go through nowadays because of the power dynamic at SJSU and in the United States.
A San José State sophomore and another member of Students for Justice in Palestine said she was worried the protest could prompt counter protests.
She said that despite her fears, protesting is something that must be done in order to have their voices heard at such an uneasy time.
“If we don’t say it’s peaceful, we could be painted a certain way that says we are hateful,” she said.
The student said SJSU is failing to make campus a supportive place for Palestinian students and this protest is a call for change to that atmosphere.
“You have a community of Palestinians and we feel unseen and unheard,” the junior said. “We wish to have more support at this institution and you fail to recognize how you're making this a hurtful place for Palestinians.”
She said she believes SJSU has always preferred to remain dead silent during the continuous attacks on Gaza that have been happening over the past few years.
The junior also said the email message SJSU sent out on Oct. 10 discussing Israel and Gaza made them very concerned.
The message written by Dawn Lee, interim chief and diversity officer, stated the administration was profoundly saddened by these events.
“While many have strong feelings about the long history of struggle in the Middle East, no matter one’s perspective, the violence and terror taking place halfway around the world reverberate here,” Lee said.
Lee also said the campus has different resources and campus-based groups that students can reach out to, including the Jewish Student Union and Students supporting Israel.
They also announced that the university would have a vigil honoring and mourning all Israeli lives lost that was being hosted by Jewish students and faculty, the Jewish Student Union and Students Supporting Israel on Oct. 11.
The SJSU junior said this message appeared to be deliberately written with bias towards Israel.
She said the message was biased because it did not list any resources for Palestinian students and did not acknowledge that innocent lives are being taken from both sides which should not be taken lightly.
“The fact that the school only endorsed that vigil (hosted by Jewish students and faculty) ... is distasteful,” one SJSU sophomore said.
A San José State senior who also came to protest said they weren’t surprised by the university’s alleged favoritism for the Israeli cause.
“I feel like all universities in the United States have a strong bias because of our American culture, always favoring Israel,” the senior said.
SJSU Director of Media Relations, Michelle Smith McDonald said the university supports all free speech and acknowledges that people have a right to vent about their feelings, especially if they are personally impacted by the issue.
She said the vigil that took place the day before was a form of free speech and a support system just like the protest held by Palestinian students.
McDonald also said the message sent out by the university was not sent out with the intention to take sides, but to prioritize connection and support amongst the campus community.
“We share the sorrow that a lot of people are feeling, but our priority was taking care of our campus community and making sure that they knew that there are places for them to go and (find) connections for them” she said.
Andrew Yang, the director of the Mosaic Cross Cultural Center said he attended the protest to show protestors that the center is available to provide support to all people and communities of different identities who may have different personal connections to the conflict.
The Mosaic Cross Cultural Center is a resource center on campus providing support, advocacy, empowerment and a safe space for all students on campus, according to its website.
“We're always here as a resource for any student that wants to come, talk or take time to process,” Yang said.
The junior said in the past week there has been a major shift in the safety of club members on and off campus.
“We can't show our faces, we have to walk home in groups after this protest,” the junior said. “I have a Palestinian flag pin on my backpack, which I've had on for years, and I've had to take it off this past week.”
McDonald said she encourages students and groups to let the University Police Department and administration know when they are feeling unsafe.
“We want people to know that we have extra patrols and that many measures are being taken at a security level,” McDonald said. “We're monitoring social media, we're monitoring dialogues, things like that. But if people see something or are experiencing something, we want them to tell us.”
The San José State sophomore said what made her nervous was that some of the Jewish faculty had gathered in their area.
She said some fellow protestors believed Jewish faculty and students might be questioning their own safety which could potentially get the protestors in trouble.
Jonathan Roth, SJSU Jewish history professor said he did not feel threatened by the protest in any way.
Roth said he views the protest as students exercising their right to free speech and expressing their views.
“Yes, people have freedom of speech, but I think they should be aware that when they embrace terrorists, people are going to be terrified. It’s a natural reaction,” Roth said.
Roth said he is not against the Students for Justice in Palestine protesting, but he wants to be aware of them to avoid being uncomfortable or caught off guard.
“All we (Jewish faculty) really wanted from the president (of San José State) is they tell us this is happening so we don't have to walk by it,” Roth said. “Now I'm gonna go back to my office and I'm going to just ignore it.”
The sophomore said Israel should be held accountable for holding Palestinians hostage under apartheid throughout the entirety of their lives.
“We are pressuring the world to hold Israeli authorities accountable for committing the crime of apartheid against Palestinians,” the sophomore said. “We want no occupation, we want no innocent bloodshed and we want Palestinians to have their human rights. This is a movement for liberation.”
The SJSU junior said that Palestinians are being ethnically cleansed and their history is being erased.
Ethnic cleansing is a combination of coercive practices used on civilian populations to remove, displace and/or murder them, according to the United Nations website.
“Israel is the oppressor and Palestinians are the oppressed,” she said. “We will not give up until the oppression of the Palestinian people is over and Palestine is free. Long live Palestine”
