Amidst a sea of flags and bullhorns, dozens of students gathered for a pro-Palestine march that began at Charles Library and ended at the Hillel Center for Jewish Life on Temple’s campus Thursday.
The protesters advocated for justice in Palestine and demanded a change in the university’s financial commitment to companies that profit from the war in Gaza.
“It’s more about the citizens,” said Michael Hassiepen, a freshman film and media arts major. “For me, personally, it’s not about Hamas. I don’t really support Hamas at all, but for me, it’s personally about the citizens that are being denied, hated, abused, and are suffering.”
Protesters gradually flooded around Charles Library just after 3 p.m. before making their way to Alter Hall and eventually the Hillel Center. Clothed in watermelon shirts — a discreet nod to the Palestinian flag — grasping onto signs that read, “Free Palestine,” and chanting phrases such as, “The students united will never be defeated,” students marched through campus and down Broad Street.
Yaam Malka, a sophomore psychology and political science major, stood next to the gathering at Charles Library with an Israeli flag. Malka acknowledges the conflict in the Middle East as a tragedy but believes some protestors have gone too far.
“I can see where [the protesters are] coming from,” Malka said. “Innocent people dying is sad, period. However, the leaders of SJP are actively calling to shame and humiliate Jewish students on campus. When I am walking past an SJP rally and somebody calls me a k–e, you pass a certain boundary, and that is no longer freedom of speech. That is hate speech.”
Since Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the retaliation has resulted in the death of more than 40,000 Palestinians, with around 17,000 of those fatalities being children. Contention between Israel and Palestine supporters on campus is growing as the war rages on. Students for Justice in Palestine demands Temple to condemn the mass casualties, along with rebuking Zionism on campus.
“I wanted to make it clear that Judaism is not Zionism,” said Amina Shakeel, a former Temple student who transferred to the University of Connecticut as a human rights major. “There are Jewish people in this crowd with us who recognize that Judaism is being tarnished in the name of Zionism.”
Following the creation of the Israeli state in 1948, Zionism became an ideology protecting Israel as a Jewish state to establish an international home base. Students at the rally emphasized their disagreement with that ideology and spoke on how they believe Zionism inherently harms Palestinians.
“They’re trying to say, like, ‘Oh, if you’re a Jew then you’re inherently a Zionist, because Israel’s founded on Zionism,’” Shakeel said. “And that’s how it survives, by excluding Palestinians from that space.”
In support of the three students arrested and facing disciplinary action from the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, protest leaders encouraged students to march north up Broad Street to express their disapproval and make their voices heard.
Students from various universities across the Philadelphia region have been charged for protesting on college campuses in recent months. In line with the larger discussion surrounding student activism and university regulations, students and university administrators are increasingly at odds about what some students believe to be excessive disciplinary measures taken against protestors.
The marchers turned left on Norris Street, where they stood chanting in front of Temple Hillel, the university’s community center for Jewish students. Shortly after the demonstration, Temple President Richard Englert released a statement condemning SJP for their actions.
“We are deeply saddened and concerned by these events,” wrote Englert in an email to the Temple community. “Targeting a group of individuals because of their Jewish identity is not acceptable and intimidation and harassment tactics like those seen today will not be tolerated.”
Englert emphasized Temple’s commitment to protecting freedom of speech and the right to protest but considered the demonstration at Hillel to violate these terms. Any student or student organization found to be involved in today’s incident will be subject to disciplinary action under the Student Conduct Code, Englert wrote.
Arun stressed to protesters the difference between anti-semitism and anti-Zionism and asked those in attendance to not cross the threshold into hate for Jewish students. But he did share his strong displeasures with the Hillel Center.
“Hillel actively attempts to work with law enforcement to dox and police political action on campus,” Arun said. “They organize birthrights and they actively lobby campuses to censor pro-Palestine, it is ridiculous.”
Amid the protest, Temple’s Vice President for Public Safety Jennifer Griffin and dozens of other police officers were on hand to ensure the demonstration remained peaceful. Despite the tension circulating in the air, many of the officers on the scene allowed students and faculty to protest peacefully.
“We respect the First Amendment, so we’re out here to support all of our community, our students, our faculty and staff,” Griffin said.
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