This letter was written by a group of students in Students for Justice in Palestine.
On Nov. 15, students gathered for a walk-out and march in solidarity with communities targeted by President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. The protest was immensely successful in drawing in a large number of students who stood collectively against bigotry, hatred and discrimination in all forms. It represented the diversity of the GW student body and intended to create a space in which all students could have a voice.
Despite its purpose of solidarity, the walk-out catalyzed backlash in response to one student in particular who chose to represent her own heritage and marginalized identity by carrying a Palestinian flag. This prompted extreme criticism on a photograph posted by GW on their Facebook page which showed the flag and was captioned “No hate, no fear. Everyone is welcome here.” The flag also sparked a column by a Hatchet opinions writer titled, “Palestinian flag had no place at student walk-out.” We would like to clarify the facts regarding the Palestinian flag that was being carried at the protest.
The person carrying the flag was a Palestinian student representing her identity, which is threatened by President-elect Trump’s agenda. Not every Palestinian at GW is a member of Students for Justice in Palestine, nor does every Palestinian agree with our mission, and it is incorrect to assume that a Palestinian flag is always directly associated with SJP. The Palestinian community – like every other marginalized community – has the right to express their identities in the aftermath of such a divisive election.
Denying this student’s right to carry her own flag at an event that called for solidarity would counteract the message of the protest: that the student body will not stand for suppression of the voices of marginalized communities. The claim that the presence of a Palestinian flag in the walk-out is divisive further marginalizes Palestinian students on campus who already fear discrimination. This is not the first time that a Palestinian identity has been suppressed on GW’s campus.
GW needs to support its Palestinian students in this time of uncertainty and hardship because the Trump Administration has already had a direct impact on Palestinians. On the Wednesday morning after Trump’s election win, the Israeli Minister of Education Naftali Bennett stated that, “Trump’s victory is an opportunity for Israel to immediately retract the notion of a Palestinian state in the center of the country, which would hurt our security and just cause.” This is a clear example of the inevitable harm and silencing of voices that Palestinians will experience under the Trump administration.
SJP recognizes the increase of violence and discrimination against the Jewish community because of the Trump administration, especially with the appointment of Steve Bannon. We stand in solidarity with the victims of anti-Semitism and other hate crimes that have increased since the election. As an organization, Students for Justice in Palestine stands against discrimination in any form, including but not limited to sexism, racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, classism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia and bigotry.
Students for Justice in Palestine is proud to be a part of the GW community as we work together to combat the injustice that will be perpetuated by the Trump administration. We hope that our community will continue to be a space of diversity and solidarity where all identities are valued and respected.
