The May Day Student Organization stands in solidarity with the CUNY Hunger Strike for Gaza, and we praise the steadfast commitment of the students, faculty and staff who have been on indefinite hunger strike since May 27. We echo their demand that CUNY divest from the Zionist state of Israel and from all weapons and technology manufacturers equipping the US-funded genocide in Palestine. Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez and the CUNY Board of Trustees must listen to the call from not only the CUNY community, but from students and teachers across the country who refuse to accept their schools’ complicity in the occupation of Palestine and the violent erasure of its people.
The demand for divestment has united the student movement since October 7th, 2023. The establishment of university encampments in 2024 was so widespread that both the Biden and Trump administrations made it a top priority to punish students, teachers and administrators for any criticism of the American-Israeli alliance. From the congressional witch-hunt among University presidents, to the unlawful detention of student activists, to the mass arrests on college campuses, the imperialist state has shown its direct interest in protecting and reinforcing ties with Israel – their “aircraft carrier in the Middle East.”
This CUNY campaign joins a broader movement of university hunger strikes across the country, including Stanford, Yale, UCLA, and many other campuses. Activists who endured the violent crackdown on the encampments last year continue to raise objection to their tuition and tax dollars being used to fund genocide.
We recognize the important educational work that has accompanied this wave of student activism – the teach-ins and lectures and film screenings and reading groups. As socialists, we have two important tasks when it comes to political education on the question of Palestine. First, we popularize our support for the historic national liberation struggle of the Palestinians, upholding their rights to BOTH self-determination and to resist occupation. Our second duty is to educate the broad masses of students and youth about the history and ideology of Zionism, to counter their lies and distortions propagated in schools and across the media. One of the most pernicious ideas that the ruling class has worked tirelessly to implant in popular consciousness is that the pro-Palestine student movement is motivated by anti-Semitism. We must continue to insist with even greater resolve that criticism of Israel and the Zionist project IS NOT anti-Semitism. The very real threat of anti-Semitism lies in the rise of the far-right and fascism around the world, including here in the US with the Trump administration.
What can you do? The strikers are asking us to put pressure on the CUNY administration and echo their demands. Call or write directly to the Chancellor here: (646) 664-9100 / felo@cuny.edu. They are also raising funds to aid families in Gaza. Show your solidarity in person by visiting the Grad Center, where the strikers are gathering daily from 12pm-6pm. Learn more here.
No business as usual during genocide in Gaza!
DIVEST NOW!
May Day Student Organization 