Shut It Down for Palestine (SID4P) is an advocacy and activism coalition focused on disrupting or halting the activity of political offices, businesses, and workplaces that fund, invest in, collaborate with, or otherwise support the State of Israel. ¹

Background

Shut It Down for Palestine (often stylized as SID4P) emerged in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on the State of Israel. On October 11 of that year, following a demonstration in New York City in support of Gaza, the People’s Forum, an organization which would later become one of the coalition’s “convenors,” made a statement describing its role as “combatting” material support for Zionism and damaging “U.S. global imperialism,” which was subsequently endorsed by the six other organization’s that later become the coalition’s member organizations or “convenors”: ANSWER Coalition, International People’s Assembly, Al-Awda NY, National Students for Justice in Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement, and Palestinian American Community Center NJ. ^{2 3}

On November 1, 2023, Shut It Down for Palestine registered its domain name, and on November 6, it launched its website. ⁴

Activities

As a coalition, Shut It Down for Palestine organizes protests, demonstrations, boycotts, and other activities aimed at disrupting political offices, businesses, and workplaces that fund, invest in, or collaborate in some way with the State of Israel. For instance, the coalition features several “actions,” largely protests and demonstrations, on its website hosted by its member organizations, in which it urges supporters to participate. ^{5 6}

In general, the coalition recommends that supporters picket Israeli embassies and consulates; picket against companies with business relationships with the State of Israel, such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon; wear keffiyehs; and wear black armbands. ⁷

Additionally, the coalition offers toolkits for activists, including a toolkit advising on how supporters could ask businesses to shut down for a day, another on how to contact media outlets to secure favorable news coverage, and a third for organizing students to support the coalition’s initiatives. ⁸

Funding

Shut It Down for Palestine accepts donations through the People’s Forum, one of the coalition’s member organizations, which is in turn supported by Give Lively, an online fundraising platform based in New York City. ⁹

According to a report published by the Network Contagion Institute, Shut It Down for Palestine has received significant financial support from Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-aligned entities. Particularly, the report notes that three of the coalition’s member organizations, the People’s Forum, International People’s Assembly, and ANSWER Coalition, are part of a network of organizations supported by Neville Roy Singham, who has been accused of aligning with the CCP. ¹⁰

Endorsers

Organizations that have endorsed Shut It Down for Palestine include the Afghan Liberation Coalition, African Artists Against Apartheid, American Civics Institute, American Muslims for Palestine, American Party of Labor, Anakbayan Canada, Artists Against Apartheid, Association marocaine des droits humains, Ayala Productions, Bakers for Gaza Ceasefire, Bangladeshi Americans for Political Progress, Black Phoenix Organizing Collective, Brooklyn Eviction Defense, Building Bridges Radio and Equal Rights & Justice, Cleveland Peace Action, Coalition for Civil Freedom, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, CODEPINK,  Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, CUNY4PALESTINE, Dallas For Change, Eaglenest Sanctuary, Eyes on Palestine, Friends of Sabeel North America, Global Exchange, Good Shepherd Collective, Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice, Honor the Earth, Indigenous Nations Network, Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism, International Peoples’ Assembly, Jenerational Change, Justicia Digna, Museum of the Palestinian People, National Students for a Democratic Society, Palestine Solidarity Working Group, Palestinian Feminist Collective, Splinter Collective, Teachers Unite, the Love We Dont See, USA-Palestine Mental Health Network, Visions of Home, Waltham Black Future Fund, Workers World Party, and YAP! (Young Americans Protest). ¹¹

1.   “Contagious Disruption: How CCP Influence and Radical Ideologies Threaten Critical Infrastructure and Campuses Across the United States.” Network Contagion Research Institute. Accessed September 9, 2024. https://networkcontagion.us/wp-content/uploads/SID4P-Report_May-2024.pdf.
2. “About.” Shut It Down for Palestine. Accessed September 9, 2024. https://www.shutitdown4palestine.org/about.
3.  “Contagious Disruption: How CCP Influence and Radical Ideologies Threaten Critical Infrastructure and Campuses Across the United States.” Network Contagion Research Institute. Accessed September 9, 2024. https://networkcontagion.us/wp-content/uploads/SID4P-Report_May-2024.pdf.
4. “Contagious Disruption: How CCP Influence and Radical Ideologies Threaten Critical Infrastructure and Campuses Across the United States.” Network Contagion Research Institute. Accessed September 9, 2024. https://networkcontagion.us/wp-content/uploads/SID4P-Report_May-2024.pdf.
5. “About.” Shut It Down for Palestine. Accessed September 9, 2024. https://www.shutitdown4palestine.org/about.
6. “Actions.” Shut It Down for Palestine. Accessed September 9, 2024. https://www.shutitdown4palestine.org/actions.
7. “About.” Shut It Down for Palestine. Accessed September 9, 2024. https://www.shutitdown4palestine.org/about.
8.  “Toolkits.” Shut It Down for Palestine. Accessed September 9, 2024. https://www.shutitdown4palestine.org/toolkits.
9. “July 24 Arrest Netanyahu! Surround Congress with the People’s Red Line.” Give Lively: the People’s Forum. Accessed September 9, 2024. https://secure.givelively.org/donate/peoples-forum-inc/july-24-arrest-netanyahu-surround-congress-with-the-people-s-red-line.
10. “Contagious Disruption: How CCP Influence and Radical Ideologies Threaten Critical Infrastructure and Campuses Across the United States.” Network Contagion Research Institute. Accessed September 9, 2024. https://networkcontagion.us/wp-content/uploads/SID4P-Report_May-2024.pdf.
11. “About.” Shut It Down for Palestine. Accessed September 9, 2024. https://www.shutitdown4palestine.org/about.