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Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights (SUPER)

Type:

Anti-Israel Protest Group

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Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights (SUPER), sometimes called Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return, is a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel student-led protest group with several active chapters across American colleges and universities. 1 Although Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights has no main website, its chapter groups maintain active social media accounts. 2 3 The group has helped organize college campus protests during the 2023-2024 Israel-Hamas conflict. The group’s leadership and financials are not publicly disclosed. 4

Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights supports the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, an international campaign to delegitimize the State of Israel by isolating the country economically through consumer boycotts, business and government withdrawal of investment, and legal sanctions. 5

Affiliated Groups and Chapters

In 2024, the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) submitted a report to the United States House of Representatives as testimony in a hearing entitled “Anti-Semitism on College Campuses.” 6 In the testimony, ISGAP scholars alleged that Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights is one of various entities under the direction of National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP), a  pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel advocacy group that organizes student activism on college campuses. 7 8 A Seattle Times opinion piece from 2023 referred to the University of Washington SUPER group as a “chapter of National Students for Justice in Palestine.” 9

Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights has active chapters at the following American colleges and universities: Oregon State University, Michigan State University, University of Washington, Western Washington University, Portland State University, and Macalester College. 10 11 12 13 14 15

Notable Protests

The University of Washington chapter of Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights organized a “Day of Resistance and Protest” in October 2023 which followed the  National Students for Justice in Palestine playbook for how to organize such an event. 16 The playbook directly condones violence against Israel with the slogan: “when people are occupied, resistance is justified — normalize the resistance.” 17 A Seattle Times op-ed argued that the event “should have been called ‘A Day to Celebrate Hamas’” for its outward support for the Hamas terrorism against Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023. 18

In May 2022, the University of Washington SUPER group also signed a letter with over 60 other pro-Palestinian groups in support of Khaled Barakat, a Palestinian-Canadian writer and prisoners’ rights advocate who works for the anti-Israel Samidoun advocacy group. 19 Barakat has been accused of being a top-ranking member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an internationally recognized terrorist organization and umbrella group for a number of militant organizations connected to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). 20 21

The Portland State University (PSU) chapter of Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights orchestrated a five-day occupation and encampment at the Portland State University library which caused $750,000 in damage and led to several arrests. The SUPER students called on the university to end its relationship with aerospace company Boeing and other manufacturers that supply weapons and other military materials to Israel. Portland State University president Ann Cudd defended her use of police force to end the occupation while also pausing all financial connections associated with Boeing, which had provided a one-time donation of $150,000 to the school and annually gave $28,000 in scholarships. 22 Boeing also regularly recruited PSU students. 23

References

  1. Estevan, Ash and LeCocq, Riley. “Student organizations call for a rally to ‘affirm and push’ demands of divestment, academic amnesty.” The Daily Barometer. May 28, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://dailybaro.orangemedianetwork.com/24339/daily-barometer-news/student-organizations-call-for-a-rally-to-affirm-and-push-demands-of-divestment-and-academic-amnesty/
  2. @psu_super. Instagram. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.instagram.com/psu_super/?hl=en
  3. @palestineosu. Instagram. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.instagram.com/palestineOSU/
  4. Spotz, Billy. “Pro-Palestine protest held on Oregon State campus.” KTVL 10. April 26, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://ktvl.com/news/local/pro-palestine-protest-held-on-oregon-state-campus
  5. @sjp.uo and @psu_super. Instagram. February 20, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.instagram.com/psu_super/p/C3lJOxNPzJV/?hl=en
  6. “Hearing: Antisemitism on College Campuses.” U.S. House of Representatives Committee Repository. May 14, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://docs.house.gov/Committee/Calendar/ByEvent.aspx?EventID=117305
  7. Asher, Charles Small, Patterson, David, Feder, Glen, and Sharansky, Natan. “Antisemitism, Violent Extremism and the Threat to North American Universities: The Contextualization of the National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP).” ISGAP. October 2019. Hearing held May 15, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024.   https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU10/20240515/117305/HHRG-118-JU10-20240515-SD002.pdf
  8. Home. National Students for Justice in Palestine. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://nationalsjp.org/
  9. Kessler, Randy. “Language around ‘Day of Resistance and Protest’ leaves Jews fearful.” Seattle Times. October 18, 2023. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/language-around-day-of-resistance-and-protest-leaves-jews-fearful/
  10. Clubs and Organizations – Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights. Oregon State University. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://clubs.oregonstate.edu/super
  11. “SJP Condemns Trump’s Executive Order.” National Students for Justice in Palestine. December 2019. Accessed August 12, 2024. https://nationalsjp.org/sjp-condemns-trumps-executive-order
  12. Kessler, Randy. “Language around ‘Day of Resistance and Protest’ leaves Jews fearful.” Seattle Times. October 18, 2023. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/language-around-day-of-resistance-and-protest-leaves-jews-fearful/
  13. Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights. Western Involvement Network. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://wwu.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/wwusuper48
  14. Vaughn, Courtney. “Pro-Palestine Protesters Occupy PSU Library; Police Say Arrests are Imminent.” Portland Mercury. April 30, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2024/04/30/47180250/pro-palestine-protesters-occupy-psu-library-police-say-arrests-are-imminent
  15. Macalester Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights – MacSUPER. Facebook. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/macforpalestine/
  16. Kessler, Randy. “Language around ‘Day of Resistance and Protest’ leaves Jews fearful.” Seattle Times. October 18, 2023. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/language-around-day-of-resistance-and-protest-leaves-jews-fearful/
  17. DAY OF RESISTANCE TOOLKIT. National Students for Justice in Palestine. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://docs.google.com/document/d/12IuQt1usUsyHWoHIcFYdAbpYK2H3bHJocPCrVyYT08s/edit
  18. Kessler, Randy. “Language around ‘Day of Resistance and Protest’ leaves Jews fearful.” Seattle Times. October 18, 2023. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/language-around-day-of-resistance-and-protest-leaves-jews-fearful/
  19. [1] “Write a letter: Join over 60 organizations and thousands of people to stop the smears targeting Palestinian advocacy and defend Khaled Barakat.” Samidoun. May 8, 2022. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://samidoun.net/2022/05/write-a-letter-join-over-60-organizations-and-thousands-of-people-to-stop-the-smears-targeting-palestinian-advocacy-and-defend-khaled-barakat/
  20. Galvin, Terry. “Is Khaled Barakat part of a terrorist group or a victim of Israeli intimidation?” National Post. April 28, 2022. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://nationalpost.com/opinion/terry-glavin-the-curious-case-of-khaled-barakat
  21. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Counterterrorism Guide. November 2022. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.dni.gov/nctc/ftos/pflp_fto.html#:~:text=The%20US%20State%20Department%20designated,it%20on%2031%20October%202001.
  22. Camhi, Tiffany & Thompson, Jeff. “Portland State University pauses connections to Boeing,” Oregon Public Broadcasting. April 26, 2024. Accessed August 12, 2024. https://www.opb.org/article/2024/04/26/portland-state-university-pauses-boeing-connections/
  23. Camhi, Tiffany, “After the protest: Portland State University community grapples with broken trust and binary thinking.” OPB. May 14, 2024. Accessed August 12, 2024.  https://www.opb.org/article/2024/05/14/portland-state-university-community-reaction-next-steps/
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