Blockade Ended Swarthmore Protest
By Bob Small
Swarthmore College is in the news again. The Swarthmore Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) staged a sit-in on Feb 19 (See also the letters)
Their demands were “ that the college drop its disciplinary cases against students for charges related to protests for Palestine and that the college divest from companies tied to Israel.
However this time Swarthmore Public Safety blockaded the building, preventing further protesters along with supplies, etc. This was the opposite of the previous lazes-faire reaction.
Last time, for instance, a number of us took photos. Now they were told not to take photos.
For a report that the SJP is an anti-Israel group.
It should be clarified that the FBI only contacted Swarthmore College after Swarthmore SJP put out a call for others to join them. My protest experience was that if you put out a call for others to join you that, inevitably, you would have some undercover Philly PD, State Troopers, FBI, etc.
The Swarthmore Administration in the person of Val Smith wanted to clarify that the College did not contact the FBI or any other federal law enforcement agency in response to the protest.
Meanwhile, on the Left Coast, Multiple pro-Palestine groups protest suspension of SJP, Graduate SJP on campus It seems the SJP violated UCLA’s Time , Place and Manner rules by protesting in Dickson Plaza and also in front of UC Regent Jay Sures Brentwood home on Feb. 5 and chanting “Jonathan Sures, you will pay, until you see your final day.”
If only the British had said “these are the official days and times for tea-tossing”.
Finally, this story about a Pro-Israel counter-demonstration, under the aegis of Who We Are | Let’s Do Something.
Probably no one on either side listened to each other because both knew, as Bob Dylan sang, that they were demonstrating With God on Our Side.
Unlike Sunday, Oct. 4, 1936, Battle of Cable Street where there were the Fascists versus the Anti-Fascists.
See also On third day of SJP encampment, protests continue …
Blockade Ended Swarthmore Protest