GAZA WARWho Are the Primary Groups Behind the U.S. Anti-Israel Rallies?
Since the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel, activists at anti-Israel rallies have continued to justify and celebrate Hamas’s slaughter of Israelis. Activists have stated that all Israelis are legitimate military targets; that Palestinians have the right to resist by “any means necessary”; that Hamas terrorists are “freedom fighters”; and that Hamas’s terror attacks were part of a laudable process of “decolonization.”
On October 8, 2023, the day after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and killed 1,400 Israelis, and kidnapped at least 203 people (including Americans), most of whom were civilians, many anti-Israel activists flocked to rallies across the United States at which speakers and attendees openly celebrated the brutal attacks.
Since then, activists at anti-Israel rallies have continued to justify and celebrate Hamas’s slaughter of Israelis. Activists have stated that all Israelis are legitimate military targets; that Palestinians have the right to resist by “any means necessary;” that Hamas terrorists are “freedom fighters;” and that Hamas’s terror attacks were part of a laudable process of “decolonization.”
The primary organizers of these rallies include Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Within Our Lifetime-United for Palestine (WOL), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), If Not Now (INN) and the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). Each of these groups has expressed inflammatory rhetoric about Israel and/or Zionism. Many have a history of promoting classic antisemitic themes on social media, at rallies, on webinars and more. Many have also long expressed support for terror against Israel. Here is a closer look at these groups:
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is the most prominent and active anti-Israel and anti-Zionist student group in the United States. SJP chapters often applaud or justify terror attacks in Israel; attempt to expel “Zionists” from campus life; protest outside of Hillels (the main Jewish student group on U.S. campuses); disrupt events on campus they deem pro-Israel; and sometimes promote classic antisemitic tropes. In one instance in April 2022, while participating in an SJP protest outside Hillel at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, a student threw a rock at a group of Jewish students (no one was hurt). In June 2022, SJP chapters were among the most enthusiastic proponents of the antisemitic Mapping Project website, which includes a call to “dismantle” and “disrupt” the main Jewish organizations of the Boston area, including a Jewish high school.
