Youngstown State students launch pro-Palestine group following Hamas attacks
A new chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine has been established at the school shortly after the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.
'We are a group committed to upholding the human rights and liberation of the Palestinians impacted by the illegal occupation of Palestine,' the group said in an Instagram post.
Youngstown State University students recently formed a new chapter of the leftist Students for Justice in Palestine in the wake of the deadly Hamas terror attacks in Israel. The group also painted the campus spirit rock with pro-Palestinian messages.
“We are a group committed to upholding the human rights and liberation of the Palestinians impacted by the illegal occupation of Palestine,” the group declared in an Instagram post published just days after the terrorist group killed 260 Israelis at a concert.
[RELATED: Pro-Palestinian students at Rhodes College blame Israel for Hamas attacks]
At an Oct. 11 forum hosted by the Arab American Community Center of Youngstown, Tala Alsharif announced the student organization’s launch, saying, “We also want to raise awareness about the struggle that Palestinians have gone through, on a daily basis, for the past 75 years. I think we need this organization now more than ever.”
In an interview with Campus Reform, chapter president Tala Alsharif denied that the group was started in response to the recent attacks.
When asked if she and her group condemn the violence being perpetrated by Hamas, Alsharif responded, “I am not here to support Hamas,” but asked, “Why should I condemn anything?”
Alsharif also disputed reports of violence against Israeli citizens as “misinformation,” instead asserting that Israel is responsible for the recent violence. She also claimed that Palestinian citizens are being forced to live in an “open-air prison” in Gaza.
The new group held a “Paint the Rock and Get to Know More about SJP” event on Oct. 17 in which it painted the campus spirit rock with a Palestinian flag and messages such as “Free Palestine” and “Free Gaza.”
SJP members at the event discussed a protest planned for Oct. 18 at a local mall. The group also advertised it in a post to its Instagram story which asked students to “join [SJP YSU] to bring awareness to all the wrongdoings of Israel to the innocent Palestinians.”
In addition to its campus activism efforts, the group has posted links on its Instagram page to raise money for two Palestinian fundraisers.
Campus Reform has contacted Youngstown State University for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.
