UMass People’s Assembly Continues Protests in Support of Palestine, Divestment, and Free Speech

Following the dismantling of a student encampment on the University’s South Lawn early Tuesday morning (5/1), about 350 students, along with supporting UMass faculty and staff,  gathered on the Metawampe Lawn on Tuesday afternoon for what was billed as the first UMass People’s Assembly. The event was sponsored by seven student groups and campus labor organizations: PSC (Palestine Solidarity Caucus), GEO (Graduate Employee Organization), UMass Dissenters, FJP, (Faculty for Justice in Palestine) MSP (Massachusetts Society of Professors),  PSU (Professional Staff Union), USA (University Staff Association).  

The event, which ran from 1-4 p.m., focused on the themes of solidarity and common struggle and of uplifting the voices of students and workers. Speakers addressed protecting free speech on campus, ending war profiteering and UMass’ entanglement with military contractors, solidarity with the Palestinian people and opposition to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, creating solidarity among students and campus workers, and democratizing the university. Organizers noted that “the current crises facing students and workers are two sides of the same coin.” Affordability, understaffing, suppression of free speech and the right to assemble, and a university administration that prioritizes corporate and donor interests above learning and working conditions are unacceptable conditions facing both students and workers.  The aim of the assembly they said was to “discuss and amplify these issues and to build networks of solidarity that will make UMass a more equitable and sustainable environment for all.” 

The event was divided into four segments – an introduction to the sponsoring student-led and worker-led organizations,  small group discussions about campus climate, testimony about arrests and sanctions imposed on the UMass 57, a group of students who were arrested on campus in October while protesting the war in Gaza, and workshops on non-violent direct action and knowing your rights.  The assembly closed with a pledge to maintain a protesting presence on the campus south lawn (the site of the dismantled encampment) for at least the rest of the week.

Speakers Address Building Solidarity and Defending Rights
Woven throughout each of the assembly’s segments and addressed by each of the speakers was an urgency to speak out about the ongoing genocide in Gaza, demands for the University to divest from militarism and war and  the need to oppose efforts of colleges administrators at UMass and around the country to suppress free speech. The space between speakers was filled with chants of “free free Palestine” and “disclose, divest, we will not stop we will not rest”.

Asha Nadkari a UMass Professor of English representing the MSP, underscored that MSP supports academic freedom and freedom of speech and has worked diligently over the years to enshrine these rights in faculty contracts. Nadkari emphasized that the union stands ready to defend those rights, aand reported that the MSP has been active in supporting the UMass 57 and has conducted a letter writing campaign asking the Chancellor to drop the charges against them and has pledged to continue to push for this relief.

Camille Godbount-Chouinard, speaking for the University Staff Association (USA), emphasized the common struggles faced by UMass workers and students and condemned the ongoing ruthless attacks on students, staff and faculty, stating that it was a beautiful day to crush tyranny.  

Terrell James, representing GEO and the UAW said that graduate students stand in solidarity with other campus unions and called on UMass to divest from the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

The featured speaker was Louai Abu-Osba, a Palestinian American resident of the Valley and a 2003 graduate of Hampshire College.

Abu-Osba recalled the challenges faced by Palestinians throughout his lifetime, noting the bewilderment and discomfort he encounters when he shares that his family had to leave Palestine because their village was destroyed.  He said that in the aftermath of housing demolitions, Israeli settlement expansions, occupation, and the current genocide, it is hard not to despair.  But he said that he found hope in the community and in solidarity students were creating.

Speaking of the ongoing protests on campus he concluded, “ You have made connection more powerful than the ignorance and racism we face. What I failed to understand 20 years ago is that justice and liberation begin with connection and community. We can’t outspend the military industrial complex, but we can out connect them. You have created a movement that I never, ever expected to see in America. Your connection to those physically next to you, to students at other campuses, to the Palestinians undergoing genocide as we speak, is terrifying the centers of power and profit.. It has filled me with so much hope, synergy, and motivation. For the first time in my life, and the life of many Palestinians who are watching, I see what is going to be an enormous wave of change. It’s a long game. It probably won’t happen this year, or next, but in the foreseeable future: all of you, are literally the bottom of the tsunami that will free Palestine. You have created the right side of history.”

Organizers announced they will still be present without tents on the campus south lawn every day for the rest of the week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They encouraged faculty and students to join them.

Read More:  Demilitarize and Democratize: Local and Campus Organizations hold first UMass People’s Assembly (Massachusetts Daily Collegian)