At 9:30 p.m. yesterday, The New School’s Students for Justice in Palestine (TNS SJP) gathered around Amin Husain, a Palestinian-American activist, for a teach-in at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment established at the University Center on Sunday.
A post on SJP’s Instagram page announcing the event, titled “Academic Intifada,” referred to the meeting as an “emergency community event.”
TNS SJP students signed Husain into the building, who introduced himself as Abu, and the group of roughly 30 people settled in after signing in peers from other universities.
Husain spoke for about an hour, addressing the ongoing conflict in Palestine, praising the crowd for the encampment in the UC, and giving them advice on how to continue moving forward.
“This escalation, everyone should feel good about it, in the sense that it’s legitimate … It’s also knowing that Columbia is doing this too, so you’re not alone,” Husain said.
Husain continued that he believed the administration wanted to talk in order to convince the group to disperse, using an analogy of a flame that the administration is trying “to put out.”
“These institutions don’t think they’re accountable to you at all. They want to maintain control, and the way they maintain control is by keeping everyone in the dark … They will wait for this class to graduate, and nothing will ever happen,” Husain said.
After Husain had addressed the group, explaining divestment and the history of apartheid in Palestine, he opened the floor to the students, providing an opportunity for them to ask questions or share thoughts. Many emphasized that such actions allow students to have a strong sense of community, while others recommended activities they can do throughout the action.
“I feel like sitting here with people, and there being such accessibility to food, and to rest, and to have a space to study with people, I feel like that’s such an inaccessible thing nowadays,” a student said to the group, explaining the sense of community they feel at the encampment.
The group wrapped up on a positive note, with Husain, who is also an adjunct professor at NYU and was placed on leave in January following statements he made during a TNS SJP teach-in he volunteered in early December, telling the group to trust themselves, and not to fear further repercussions from the University. “I was there at Columbia when it first started on the outside, and there were just five people, and the cops were brutal. People held their ground, and they fought back, and some got arrested, but it’s going. People should not be afraid to risk arrest when they believe in something. It’s not for everyone, but don’t be afraid.”