The president made it clear that the group doesn’t represent the school. That must have taken the wind out of their sails.
From the Daily Wildcat:
Student Palestine advocates cancel rally due to UA president’s commentsThe University of Arizona chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine canceled its Oct. 12 demonstration after President Dr. Robert C. Robbins issued a statement separating the university from the values of the group.“The national organization has made statements endorsing the actions of Hamas in Israel, which are, of course, antithetical to our university’s values,” Robbins said in an email sent out to students and staff the night before the scheduled event.The national organization – National Students for Justice in Palestine – is affiliated with 250+ chapters of SJP clubs across North America. The club has sparked controversy since the Saturday, Oct. 7 bombing of a music festival in Israel by Hamas, followed by a declaration of war against Hamas by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The National SJP posted on Instagram that same day to call the situation a “historic win for the Palestinian resistance” – a post that has since been taken down.According to the Associated Press, “Hamas’ assault on Saturday killed more than 1,300 people in Israel, including 247 soldiers — a toll unseen in Israel for decades — and the ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed more than 1,400 people in Gaza, according to authorities on both sides.”“This is what it means to Free Palestine: not just slogans and rallies, but armed confrontation with the oppressors,” the National SJP post said.It is unclear what specific statement made by SJP that Robbins referred to in his statement, but his wariness is shared by Michigan Republican Congressman Tim Walberg, who led 43 colleagues in writing a letter to the U.S. Department of Education warning against SJP and its Oct. 12 National Day of Resistance.“Organizations like the Students for Justice in Palestine have called for a National Day of Resistance this Thursday, October 12, with demonstrations occurring on college campuses that could result in the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students and acts of harassment against them,” Walberg’s letter said.The UA’s SJP chapter released a statement on Instagram in response to Robbins the morning of the scheduled protest, citing his email as the reason for canceling it.“Due to President Robbins’ inflammatory letter, we no longer feel safe holding our rally on campus today and have postponed it to a later date,” the statement said.
Read the president’s statement here.
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