UMD Students for Justice in Palestine hold vigil for Palestinian victims in Israel-Hamas Conflict
Two students attending the vigil have the Palestinian flag wrapped around their bodies. (Tolu Talabi/ The Black Explosion)
Hundreds of students gathered on McKeldin Mall Thursday evening to mourn the Palestinian lives lost in Israel's war against Hamas.
Students and hosts from the university’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter noticed the absence of University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines, who had attended a vigil organized by the Jewish Student Union, Terps for Israel, MEOR Maryland and UMD Chabad on McKeldin Mall last Monday.
The organization, according to its Instagram page, is a political advocacy student group that “works in solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle for human rights.”
“I think it speaks a lot without actually saying anything,” said Fatima Deen, an attendee of the teach-in and vigil, and senior biochemistry and public health science major at the university.
The Black Explosion reached out to the Office of the President to provide a statement on Pines' absence.
“Unfortunately, yesterday had several conflicting scheduled events including the meetings with the University of System of Maryland Board of Regents and the UMCP Foundation Board of Trustees,” the statement read. “The vigil and teach-in was attended by two University of Maryland senior administration officials, including the Vice President for Student Affairs Patty Perillo.”
The university’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine wrote in a statement to The Black Explosion that Pines should have made more of an effort to attend.
Ronald Zeigler, director of the Nyumburu Cultural Center, attended the vigil and gave a speech on behalf of the center. He declared the vigil as “the day of resistance,” meaning respect towards the Palestinian community.
“Resistance means that there should be respect for one’s religions, for one’s culture, for one’s surroundings, for his or her well being,” Zeigler said. “There should be absolutely unequivocally no disrespect towards Students for Justice in Palestine on this campus.”
The vigil observed three moments of silence for Gazans lost and displaced since Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip.
After the creation of Israel in 1948, Egypt controlled Gaza. During the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors, it gained control of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, according to NBC News.
Israel controlled the strip for 38 years but withdrew Israeli settlers and its military forces from Gaza in 2005, leaving the West Bank for Hamas – a Palestinian Islamist organization – to take control of the area, according to NBC News. Since 2007, Israel has maintained a land, air and sea blockade on Gaza as a way to protect Israeli citizens from Hamas.
Hamas launched a surprise attack across central and southern Israel on Oct. 7 - its largest attack in years since Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza in 2005. The invasion killed more than 1,300 Israelis and left over 3000 injured, according to The Washington Post.
The Israeli government declared war on Hamas in retaliation last Sunday, and since then launched airstrikes and a complete siege of Gaza last Monday, according to The Washington Post. Israel also issued another blockade, preventing Palestinians from leaving the strip by air, land or sea. Gazans are without electricity, water, food or fuel with over 2,000 dead and more than 9,000 wounded.
Crowd of students who are in attendance of the SJP vigil (Tolu Talabi/ The Black Explosion)
Student speakers who wore masks and keffiyehs voiced Palestinian resistance and the lack of support from this university.
“All we’re asking for today is that the world does not keep invalidating our people’s pain and suffering, which has been our reality for far too long,” an unnamed speaker, who expressed concerns for their personal safety and security, said. “We exist and we are here. And we deserve to be seen, protected and fought for much like every single human being does.”
SJP expressed concerns for personal safety at its teach-in and vigil. In a statement to The Black Explosion, the organization wrote that members believe videos and photos were taken of them while mourning and felt personally disturbed as a result.
The organization wrote in the statement to this newspaper that past and current members are blacklisted on Canary Mission. Canary Mission is a website that “documents individuals and organizations that promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews on North American college campuses and beyond,” according to its website.
An unnamed Palestinian student, who attended the event and agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, said she has friends in Gaza and family in the West Bank she has not heard from. She’s mourning their death and hopes this university can support her.
“We’re not saying choose a side. We’re saying at least acknowledge both sides,” she said. “We just need basic support.”
Students and alumni who attended the vigil said it provided emotional support and showed the strength of the Palestinian community. Margot, who asked that we keep her last name private for safety concerns, is a university alumni who attended and appreciated the turnout for the vigil.
“It’s really nice to see so many people here,” Margot said. “There’s a lot of Palestinians here. There are also a lot of other people here from other cultures, other ethnicities supporting each other. And it was a really strong show of this community and I think that people really need people right now.”
A Palestinian speaker reiterated Palestine solidarity and strength as students waved their striped flags.
At the vigil, the organization made it clear that they are not endorsing any political group or movement. A speaker said there is a clear oppressor and oppressed in this conflict. However, they added they want to continue to call for the world to grant justice to the Palestinian people and put an end to the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.
“Let this be your message to our world,” a speaker said. “You can take our water, you can take our food and you can take our electricity and yet we will still stand here today. This is Palestinian resilience.”
This story had been updated.