Supporters of the Palestinian people staged a silent protest
Wednesday afternoon on Bruin Walk, throwing a dissenting viewpoint
into the middle of a week pro-Israel groups had designated to
celebrate Israel’s independence.
About 25 Palestinian supporters stood in a line at the edge of
Meyerhoff Park, holding signs condemning the Israeli government for
the way it has treated the Palestinian people. The protesters were
arrayed before a display erected earlier by pro-Israel groups,
which detailed Israel’s contributions to society and listed
facts about Israel.
“This week, while people are learning about Israel, they
should also be learning about the other side of the coin,”
said Mirza Baig, a third-year computer science student who held a
sign which read: “Militarism, Occupation,
Apartheid.”
Ross Neihaus, president of Bruins for Israel and one of the
organizers of Israel Independence Week, said he was upset the
protesters were in front of the Israel display.
“Everyone has freedom of speech,” he said. “I
just wish they wouldn’t obstruct ours.”
Israel Independence Week, a week of events designed to celebrate
the existence of Israel, has usually been a contentious time for
pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups, especially since the second
intifada, or Palestinian uprising, began in September 2000.
The second intifada has since claimed over 870 Israeli and 2,880
Palestinian lives, according to the Middle East Policy Council.
At Meyerhoff, a black banner with bold red letters that read
“Israel’s Real Contributions” provided a backdrop
to protesters holding signs that called on Israel to respect
Palestinian human rights, accused pro-Israel groups of celebrating
Israel’s independence at the expense of Palestinians and
deplored the plight of Palestinian refugees.
The protesters were primarily composed of students from the
Muslim Student Association, al-Awda and Students for Justice in
Palestine. There was also an 86-year-old woman who held a sign that
read “Zionism is Racism” and who would only give her
last name as Fereeda.
Members of Bruins for Israel briefly solicited Berky Nelson, the
director of the Center for Student Programming, to move protesters
to the other side of Bruin Walk, so they would not block the
pro-Israel display. Nelson said he had to respect the
protesters’ First Amendment rights.
The relatively silent protesters caught the eye of many students
on Bruin Walk, like Nicholas Corpuz, a third-year international
development studies and political science student.
Though Corpuz said he didn’t entirely agree with the
protesters, he still stopped to read most of their signs.
“When there’s a lot of people holding signs and
being quiet, it expands on the power of the message,” he
said.
The protest also drew a couple of counter-protesters. Rafi
Moghadam, a fourth-year mathematics student, stood opposite the
protesters with a sign that showed the terrorist attacks of Sept.
11, 2001 and a picture of Palestinians celebrating the attacks.
“I wonder why (the protesters) want American support when
their people support terrorist attacks against the United
States,” he said.
Another counter-protester showed up briefly with a sign that
read, “al-Qaeda recruitment center” with an arrow
pointing to the protesters, but he left quickly.
After an hour, the protesters marched down Bruin Walk, followed
by Moghadam who flashed his sign and shouted, “To keep things
in perspective.” The protesters circled back to Kerckhoff
before disbanding.
One protester, Jameelan Shukri, a third-year history student,
remained on Bruin Walk after the rest of the protesters left,
covering an Israel fact sign she said was inaccurate.
While she stood there, Moghadam and a second student posed
beside her for a third student with a camera, juxtaposing their
signs with Shukri’s protest sign.
Neihaus said the protest will not derail any of the planned
events for Israel Independence Week.
“They’re not going to rain on our parade,” he
said.
The protest had personal significance for Deena Rasheed, a
third-year political science student whose parents are Palestinian.
Rasheed stood near the black banner with a sign that read, “I
do exist.”
“There’s a big Zionist population on campus, and
it’s hard because you want to make sure people know there are
Palestinians on campus too,” she said.
With reports from Ari Bloomekatz, Bruin reporter.