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People’s University for Palestine (PUP)

Type:

Coalition of Anti-Israeli University Encampments
Formation:

2024

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People’s University for Palestine (PUP) is a coalition of encampments and individuals on university campuses located in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The group was established to protest Israel, international support for the country, and its conduct in the ongoing war with Hamas following the October 7 attack by the latter leading to the deaths of over 1200 people and kidnapping of several hundred from Israel. PUP supports the anti-Israeli boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement seeking to delegitimize the state of Israel, and demands that local universities divest from any organizations or companies with financial connections to Israel.

PUP has no centralized organization or leadership, but is made from individual protest encampments which identify with the branding. PUP-affiliated encampments are or have been located at Stanford University, 1 Harvard University, 2 Columbia University, 3 the University of Iowa, 4 Case Western University, 5 MacEwan University, 6 Oregon State University, 7 the University of Winnipeg, 8 the University of Cambridge, 9 Oxford University, and several other local educational institutions. 10

Background

On October 7, 2023, the terrorist organization Hamas launched a series of attacks against the state of Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing over 1,200 Israelis while kidnapping several hundreds and taken back into the Gaza Strip. In response, Israel took retaliatory action into Gaza with the objectives of rescuing the hostages and destroying Hamas and its infrastructure. The on-going Israel-Hamas war has been criticized, primarily by left-leaning organizations and governments, due to claims of harsh conduct and collateral damage. 11

As a result of the conflict, protests began to break out on university campuses across the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. In April 2024, several campus protests escalated into the creation of encampments in which students blocked ordinary university activity. Those participating in these protests have demanded that their universities publicly condemn Israel, divest from Israel-linked companies, and urge the U.S. government to cease all support for the State of Israel. 12

People’s University for Palestine (PUP) emerged as a self-identification of multiple university protest encampments. These PUP encampments claim to engage in education activities in order to teach its members and others about the Palestinian cause and other far-left concepts. For instance, the PUP encampment at the University of Winnipeg hosted teach-ins on topics including “Palestinian history,” “settler colonialism,” “genocide studies,” “critical race theory,” “Marxism,” “queer liberation,” and “feminism.” 13

In April, PUP members at Columbia University’s encampment hosted a “People’s University for Palestine Club Fair” that invited newly admitted students and their parents to join the protest while visiting campus. 14

Demands

The demands of the People’s University for Palestine encampments are not unified. The PUP encampment at the University of Winnipeg demanded that the university’s administration discloses all endowment investments and divest “from all companies complicit in Israeli institutions in accordance with the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement,” with the examples of Boeing, the Asper Foundation, the Royal Bank of Canada, the Toronto-Dominion Bank, the Bank of Montreal, ASML Holdings, CCL Industries, Pepsico, Metro Inc., and Nestle. 8

The Winnipeg encampment also demanded that the university issue a statement “condemning the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, including the scholasticide in Gaza,” and condemning the Canadian government for its support of Israel. Additionally, the encampment demanded that the university issues its “support for searching the landfills for missing and murdered indigenous relatives, women, girls, and two-spirit people, and condemn ongoing killing of our indigenous relatives.” 8

Finally, the Winnipeg encampment demanded that no retaliation be taken by the administration against students or staff members who support Palestine. 8

The PUP encampment at MacEwan University provided email templates for supporters to message the university’s administration. One email template referred to Israel being engaged in “war crimes” and an “ongoing genocide of Palestinians.” 15

Support

The People’s University for Palestine encampments have received support from numerous left-of-center and far left organizations, mostly student groups. The Columbia University encampment was endorsed by the Black Students Union, the Vietnamese Student Association, various LGBT organizations, 3 and Apartheid Divest. 14

Response from Authorities

In June 2024, police arrested 13 members of People’s University for Palestine on Stanford University campus after they barricaded themselves in the office of the president. The students, who demanded a vote by university trustees on divesting from Israel, allegedly caused “extensive damage” to the office while one officer was injured during the arrests. All arrested students were suspended, 1 while Stanford PUP encampment members responded by protesting in front of the jail where the students were held. 16

Also in June, the PUP encampment at Oregon State University disbanded under pressure from the administration. However, the administration agreed to write an “action plan” in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict. 17

In May, Case Western Reserve University announced it was withholding degrees and banning students from university property if they were engaged in the PUP encampment. 5

Also in May, the police were called to remove the University of Alberta’s PUP encampment for trespassing. 18

In late April, 20 students were detained by police at the Case Western Reserve University PUP encampment. 19

In April, members of Columbia University’s PUP were arrested, and the PUP encampment was cleared from part of campus but regrouped in another part. 20

References

  1. Knight, Heather. “Police Arrest 13 After Protesters Occupied Stanford President’s Office.” New York Times. June 5, 2024. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/05/us/stanford-protest-israel-gaza.html.
  2. “Harvard Undergraduate PSC.” Twitter. April 27, 2024. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://x.com/HarvxrdPSC/status/1784357542308557122.
  3. “The People’s Forum.” Twitter. April 21, 2024. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://x.com/PeoplesForumNYC/status/1782167119238484103.
  4. Barraza, Paris; Reyna-Rodriguez, Victoria; Rish, Jessica; Hansen, Ryan. “Live updates: Students in Iowa City, University of Iowa lead protests supporting Palestinians.” Iowa City Press-Citizen. May 3, 2024. Updated May 6, 2024. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/local/2024/05/03/college-protests-in-iowa-city-university-of-iowa-why-are-students-protesting-gaza-palestinians/73553406007/.
  5. Haynes, Noelle. “Case Western withholding degrees, banning students from university property for War in Gaza protests.” 19 News. May 14, 2024. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://www.cleveland19.com/2024/05/14/case-western-withholding-degrees-banning-students-university-property-war-gaza-protests/.
  6. “university4palestine.yeg.” Instagram. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://www.instagram.com/university4palestine.yeg/.
  7. Cyr, Miranda. “Pro-Palestinian encampment goes up at Oregon State University as students make demands.” The Register-Guard. May 15, 2024. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://www.registerguard.com/story/news/education/2024/05/15/pro-palestinian-encampment-oregon-state-university/73702145007/.
  8. “Our Demands.” People’s University for Palestine. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://peoplesuniversityforpalestinewpg.ca/our-demands/.
  9. “adam searle.” X. May 9, 2024. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://x.com/admsrl/status/1788517056599543917.
  10. Burrell, Miriam. “Oxford and Cambridge students launch Gaza encampments on university lawns.” Yahoo! News. May 6, 2024. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/oxford-cambridge-students-launch-gaza-112213815.html.
  11. “Israel-Hamas War: What You Need To Know.” American Jewish Committee. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://www.ajc.org/IsraelHamasWar.
  12. Serino, Kenichi. “Pro-Palestinian campus protests are evolving. Here’s what to watch.” PBS. May 20, 2024. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/pro-palestinian-campus-protests-are-evolving-heres-what-to-watch.
  13. “Host a teach-in.” People’s University for Palestine. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://peoplesuniversityforpalestinewpg.ca/support/host-a-teach-in/.
  14. Cleary, Claire. “‘I came here for the people, not for the school’: Admitted students express support for ‘Gaza Solidarity Encampment’.” Columbia Spectator. April 21, 2024. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/04/21/i-came-here-for-the-people-not-for-the-school-admitted-students-express-support-for-gaza-solidarity-encampment/.
  15. “Compose Email.” Mailxto. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://mailxto.com/macewandivest.
  16. “Stanfordsjp.” Instagram. June. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://www.instagram.com/stanfordsjp/p/C71xN_gIq09/.
  17. Acar, Lidya. “Students United for Palestine Equal Rights encampment disbands.” The Daily Barometer. June 14, 2024. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://dailybaro.orangemedianetwork.com/24716/daily-barometer-news/students-united-for-palestine-equal-rights-encampment-disbands/.
  18. “Statement in solidarity with the People’s University for Palestine.” People’s Voice. May 15, 2024. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://pvonline.ca/2024/05/15/statement-in-solidarity-with-the-peoples-university-for-palestine/.
  19. Dennis, Justin. “20+ detained in pro-Palestine protest at Ohio campus.” WTRF.com. April 29, 2024. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://www.wtrf.com/ohio/20-detained-in-pro-palestine-protest-at-ohio-campus/.
  20. On the ground at the People’s University for Palestine (formerly Columbia).” The Spectator. April 22, 2024. Accessed June 26, 2024. https://thespectator.com/topic/ground-people-university-palestine-columbia-protest/.
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