Stanford College college students and school launched a starvation strike Monday, becoming a member of a broader statewide motion calling for universities to divest from corporations with ties to Israel in protest of the continued battle in Gaza.
A minimum of 12 college students and three college members are collaborating within the starvation strike, which additionally requires native authorities to drop felony expenses towards pupil protesters, for the college to repeal latest free speech restrictions, and for President Jonathan Levin to signal a nationwide educational freedom assertion.
RELATED: CSU college students begin ‘indefinite’ starvation strike in assist of Palestinians
The protest started with a peaceable meeting at White Plaza, the campus’ designated free speech zone. Safety personnel and sheriff’s deputies noticed from a distance however didn’t intervene. Activists mentioned they’ll preserve a bodily presence there each day from 6 to eight p.m. to advocate for his or her calls for.
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“We’ve continuously called for divestment and the university has not responded,” mentioned Yousef Helal, {an electrical} engineering graduate pupil collaborating within the strike. “We continue to witness the genocide in Gaza, and it’s our duty to stand up.”
The motion follows a string of pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Stanford.
On June 5, 2024, 13 people — together with a pupil journalist — have been arrested throughout a sit-in on the college’s administrative places of work. Santa Clara County District Lawyer Jeff Rosen later filed felony expenses towards 12 college students, citing property harm between $360,000 and $1 million. Underneath California legislation, harm exceeding $400 qualifies as felony vandalism.
“Dissent is American. Vandalism is criminal. Speech is protected by the First Amendment. Vandalism is prosecuted under the penal code,” Rosen mentioned final month when asserting the costs.
Helal pushed again on the quantity cited and the characterization of those that took half.
“These students were fulfilling a moral obligation,” Helal mentioned. “Stanford exaggerated the costs. They should not be punished for standing up for what’s right.”
College students arrested in June 2024 additionally confronted administrative sanctions, together with suspensions, delayed diploma conferrals and required neighborhood service.
The college didn’t present remark as of press time Monday.
Stanford has confronted criticism from a number of sides over its dealing with of the protests. A college subcommittee discovered widespread anti-Israel and antisemitic bias on campus, whereas one other concluded that Islamophobia and prejudice towards Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian college students have been additionally prevalent.
In accordance with Stanford College students for Justice in Palestine, college students have skilled continued repression for his or her activism, together with what they describe as selectively enforced in a single day tenting bans and ID or face-covering checks throughout campus occasions.
International college students at different campuses have additionally confronted authorized jeopardy. Elif Öztürk, a Tufts College pupil detained over her participation in pro-Palestinian protests, was launched earlier this month however nonetheless faces deportation.
Stanford senior Arwa Faruk, a human biology main, mentioned the college’s response stems from concern.
“I think the administration only wields that power when they feel threatened,” she mentioned. “It means our actions are having an effect.”
Faruk additionally criticized the college’s free speech insurance policies, which she mentioned are overly restrictive.
“It’s ironic they’re called ‘free speech policies’ when you’re only allowed to raise your voice above 40 decibels or hold a sign between noon and 1 p.m. on weekdays,” she mentioned.
Stanford’s web site confirms that White Plaza has restrictions, together with restricted hours, bans on tenting, and guidelines towards blocking fireplace lanes or pedestrian paths.
Professional-Palestine encampments occurred in two waves: from October 2023 to February 2024, when protesters voluntarily dismantled tents, and once more in April by June 2024, when college safety cleared the encampment and made arrests.
“We’re complying with those rules now,” Faruk mentioned. “But it’s absurd to expect students to use their free speech rights for just one hour a day. Rescinding those policies is one of our demands.”
At Monday’s rally, Areeq Hasan, a Ph.D. pupil in utilized physics, learn a prayer and mentioned a starvation strike was resistance to “hyper-consumerism” and a “culture of greed and excess,” which he believes fosters apathy towards injustice.
“The war is economic and militaristic subjugation,” Hasan mentioned. “Fasting is a powerful act of resistance — refusing to consume in a society that promotes greed.”
The starvation strike is open-ended. Regardless of potential penalties, Helal mentioned he intends to proceed.
“I’m not afraid,” he mentioned. “Right now, my whole life is Gaza. One of the core tenets of Islam is standing up against oppression — and that’s what I’m doing.”
