Pro-Hamas group urged students to boycott annual school concert to support Palestine
A Pro-Palestine group at Western Washington University recently urged students to boycott a 'Lawnstock' end-of-year event following the student government backtracking on the cancellation of the event.
A Pro-Palestine group at Western Washington University in Bellingham recently asked students to boycott a “Lawnstock” end-of-year event following the student government backtracking on the cancellation of the event.
“Lawnstock,” a concert series put on by Western Washington’s Associated Students governing body, is a series that allows students to see artists perform on campus as the year winds down.
In a post on Instagram earlier this month, the WWU Divest Apartheid group posted a series of statements that outlined how the student government previously canceled the event out of solidarity with Palestine, but then decided to allow the concert to take place.
“Lawnstock,” a concert series put on by Western Washington’s Associated Students governing body, is a series that allows students to see artists perform on campus as the year winds down.
With the concert moving ahead, the WWU pro-Hamas groups openly criticized the move to revert back to original scheduling, demanding students boycott the event.
“ASP has gone back on its promise to cancel its end of quarter event. This hypocritical act of faux solidarity is why we are calling on students, Vendors, and performers to boycott the event,” WWU Divest Apartheid wrote.
“In our call to boycott Lawnstock our intentions are not to punish student employees, performers, or vendors expecting income from this event,” it continued. “Our intention was and continues to be to draw attention to the atrocities being committed in Gaza and to refuse ‘business as usual’ while Western remains complicit in apartheid, genocide, and occupation.”
Western Washington Associated Students’ website states that the purpose of concerts like Lawnstock is “dedicated to WWU students feeling connected to their Western experience and to the campus and local community by enjoying local, regional, and national music acts in an inclusive setting.”
The pro-Hamas student group also outlined that the Associated Students previously promised to cancel the event, and since the change have claimed, “It is clear to us that ASP stood in solidarity with our Divestment Coalition strictly out of convenience, rather than genuine commitment to our cause.”
WWU Divest Apartheid claimed the move was a, “Superficial acknowledgement of the crisis, an insincere approach to solidarity, and a long overdue statement that fails to address the reason these events were canceled in the first place.”
The group also promised, “Our fight is far from over,” and, “Palestinians deserve nothing less than our full and unwavering commitment. We must boldly refuse when institutions try to force us into blissful ignorance.”
Campus Reform has contacted Western Washington University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
