Victoria Hinckley, a leader of the Tampa Bay chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, said that college students plan to bring back on-campus protests when they return to universities and colleges in the coming days and weeks.
“Come fall, we’re gonna hit the ground running, ready to protest for Palestine and continue to demand divestment. We refuse to let our universities get away with funding a genocide,” Hinckley said at a press conference today. “Disclose, divest. We will not stop, we will not rest.”
The organization is a student-run activist group that formed in opposition to the Vietnam War. It now advocates for Palestinian liberation and rights for members of marginalized communities on campuses nationwide.
Hinckley was expelled from the University of South Florida (USF) for participating in the school’s protest encampment, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times. At USF, police shot rubber bullets and tear-gassed protesters, similar to the response by authorities to other protests and encampments nationwide.
Over 3,000 college students across America were arrested or detained this spring for demanding their schools divest from Israel.
Members of SDS spoke to the Daily Dot about the law enforcement responses they saw, noting it’s often cops who make protests violent—not protesters.
“Whenever there’s violence at these protests, it’s usually brought upon by the administration who calls in the police to attack protesters,” Angel Gonzales, a rising sophomore at the University of Illinois at Chicago, told the Daily Dot. “All the police have to do is not infringe on our rights and everything will be fine.”
Hinckley spoke at the March on the DNC press conference ahead of its demonstration, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of pro-Palestine protesters to the Democratic National Convention. Chapters of Students for a Democratic Society are a part of the March’s coalition.
Another SDS member, Marcus Bolzer of the University of Central Florida, skipped the first day of classes to attend the March. He told the Daily Dot that protesting at a university in Florida under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) administration is concerning and scary.
“We’re seeing more and more how aligned university admin—like boards of trustees—are with DeSantis,” Bolzer said. “That’s probably what gives it the sharpest edge.”
Regardless, the SDS chapter at UCF plans to continue organizing protests and rallies on campus.
Other speakers at the March’s press conference in Chicago’s Union Park included Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression organizer Fayaani Aboma Mijana and the March’s spokesperson, Hatem Abudayyeh.
“The event of the season is in Chicago today at Union Park,” Abudayyeh said. “Not in the United Center.”
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