By Corinne Murdock |
A coalition of Arizona State University (ASU) students, Students Against Apartheid at ASU (SAGA), plan to protest the suspension of a pro-Palestine student group, MECHA de ASU.
The planned protest to reinstate MECHA de ASU is scheduled to occur on Thursday at 11:30 am on the student services building lawn. ASU suspended the group for a since-deleted Instagram post calling for the death of certain groups in February. The university’s Student Rights and Responsibilities Office and police force are investigating the incident.
“Mecha believes in revolution. Not reform. We do not condemn the Al Aqsa flood. We do not condemn Hamas. We do not condemn resistance. Death to boer. Death to the Pilgrim. Death to the zionist. Death to the settler. Glory to the Martyrs! Freedom to the prisoners! Victory to the resistance!”
“Al-Aqsa Flood” was the formal operation name for the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel last October. “Death to boer” is a reference to a traditional chant calling for the genocide of white South African farmers, famously sang last fall by Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) at a political rally. Based on the inclusion of the “boer” reference, then, “death to the Pilgrim” could be referring to those who make their pilgrimage to Israel to worship, or it could be referring to America’s first English settlers.
In a press release issued on Sunday, SAGA said that MECHA de ASU’s post was mainly about comparing police brutality in Arizona to the violence of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
SAGA also took issue with the amount of time ASU has taken to conduct its investigation into the incident, specifically its delay in responding to MECHA de ASU’s appeal of their suspension. ASU reportedly promised to respond within five business days of the appeal, but had yet to do so as of SAGA’s press release.
“The university is using this fraudulent investigation process to silence and surveil MECHA for protesting an ongoing genocide ASU is complicit in,” said SAGA.
SAGA has the explicit goal of stopping “ASU’s investment in the settler colonial state known as ‘Israel’.” In a more recent statement, the coalition accused ASU of being complicit in “the zionist occupation and genocide of Palestinians.” SAGA demanded that the university cease all partnerships and investments with companies and institutions supportive of Israel, as well as cease its investigation and suspension of MECHA de ASU.
Masks will be required for Thursday’s protest, as a means to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 and other communicable airborne diseases.
In addition to advocating for MECHA de ASU’s return, SAGA has been coordinating in a boycott of Starbucks for its support of Israel. Like with Thursday’s protest, SAGA meetings and events have required masking.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
