Last night I attended a fundraiser for the US to Gaza mission that intends to bring humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. It was an incredible success. About 150-200 mostly young people had crowded the hall, most of whom stayed on past 10 pm to listen to the invited speakers.
The presence of so many students who had chosen to attend the event despite intimidation by those claiming to represent Rutgers Hillel was truly heartening. Colonel Ann Wright, who was one of the featured speakers, said that this was one of the largest and most well attended of such fundraising events she has been to.
This speaks volumes to the potential that exists right now to build a genuine grassroots movement that will not be bullied and that will stand up against the inhumane conditions that the people of Gaza have had to endure under Israel's blockade.
Hillel's line of attack was predictable. In a press release Andrew Getraer, the executive director of Rutger's Hillel, argued that there were "serious legal issues" involved. First on the list was the claim that the "blockade runners will attempt to deliver goods, services or technical assistance to Hamas, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO)."
Deepa Kumar is an associate professor of Media Studies at Rutgers University. This article first appeared on her blog EmpireBytes.com.
Full Article
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/kumar051110.html
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