'Hear Them Out': Newark Advocates Back Pro-Palestine Student Protests

NEWARK, NJ — There’s an alternative to clamping down on the pro-Palestine student protests that are taking place across the nation, including New Jersey, a group of advocates say.

Hear them out.

On Tuesday, the Newark-based People’s Organization For Progress (POP) put out a statement of support for student demonstrators who are taking part in a wave of protests against the Israel-Hamas war.

Since April 18, more than 1,000 people have reportedly been arrested at dozens of college and university campuses across the United States as they demand a ceasefire and a halt to U.S. military funding for Israel’s war effort. Some students have created encampments and set up tents to occupy school-owned space – leading to clashes with police. Read More: 'We Will Not Stop,' Columbia Protesters Vow As Deadline Passes

The protests have spread to New Jersey, where 13 people were arrested on Monday night at Princeton University during a pro-Palestinian protest. Demonstrators were arrested after they briefly occupied Clio Hall, home of the graduate school, an official said. No one was injured.

• See Related: 13 Arrested At Princeton University During Pro-Palestinian Protest

Meanwhile, pro-Palestine Gaza “solidarity camp” was erected Monday afternoon on the Rutgers main campus in New Brunswick, who demanded an “end to the genocide” and referenced “the Zionist state” – phrases that some Jewish advocates have decried as antisemitic.

“I respect their right to protest in ways that do not interfere with university operations or with the ability of their fellow students to learn,” Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway said.

• See Related: Gaza Solidarity Camp Set Up On Rutgers Main Campus

The wave of protest has caught the attention of the POP, which has been influential among social justice advocates in North Jersey over the years, organizing a massive rally in Newark in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.

“The People’s Organization For Progress supports the students and faculty members who are protesting at Princeton, Rutgers, Columbia and all other schools across the nation,” said the group’s chair and founder, Lawrence Hamm, who is running for U.S. Senate as a Democrat in New Jersey.

“We support all of the students demands including an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, and divestment of their colleges and universities from companies that profit from or engage in Israel’s ongoing military campaign, occupation and apartheid policies, practices and institutions,” Hamm said.

“We especially disapprove of the police being brought on campuses to break up peaceful student protests,” he continued, claiming that police have “brutalized and hurt students” and violated their constitutional rights.

“Rather than having students beaten up by the police, college presidents and administrators should engage the protestors,” Hamm urged, demanding “total amnesty” for the protesters – many of whom may face suspensions or worse.

“We call for all those that are jailed to be released, all charges to be dropped, and all bans to be lifted,” Hamm added. “We demand all faculty that have been fired and students that have been suspended or dismissed to be reinstated.”

Hamm, an alumnus of Princeton University (class of 1978), spoke at a student rally on that campus last week, discussing the movement for divestment from apartheid South Africa that took place when he was a student there.

“Our campaign began in my freshman year,” he recalled. “We had protests, educational forums and other activities for several years. Then by 1978 in my senior year, we decided to intensify our activity.”

“On Feb. 1 that year, we began daily protests which lasted 66 days,” Hamm said. “This culminated in more than 200 students, including myself, taking over Nassau Hall. Afterwards the university divested from several companies doing business with South Africa.”

“During our entire campaign the police were never called,” Hamm said. “No one was arrested, fired or expelled from school. All of us graduated.”

“It seems that there is less tolerance for free speech, freedom of assembly and protest today than there was 46 years ago,” he said.

• See Related: 4 ‘Freedom Of Speech’ Fights In NJ To Keep On Your Radar

Casualties and suffering have been heavy for Palestinians and Israelis alike as war continues to rage in the Middle East.

More than 1,200 Israelis were killed after Hamas launched their coordinated attack on Oct. 7, including civilians and children. Dozens of the deceased are U.S. residents, including some from New Jersey.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Palestinian authorities stands at more than 30,000 people who have been killed in Gaza due to Israel's retaliatory air strikes and ground invasion –including thousands of children and civilians. Israel has cut off water and electricity in Gaza, raising an outcry from advocates and several humanitarian organizations. Widespread famine and medicine shortages are causing even more misery.

Some Jewish residents in Essex County have said they continue to experience fear and intimidation in a state that is seeing a steep rise in antisemitic incidents such as harassment, vandalism and assault. See Related: Passover Inspires Mixed Emotions In Essex County For 2024

Muslim advocates have countered that the flip side is true, pointing to a rising death toll in Gaza and increasing bias complaints from Muslims in New Jersey.

• See Related: Israel-Hamas: How To Talk To Your Kids, Practice Self-Care

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