Police raided the home of a George Mason University Students for Justice in Palestine co-president in an FBI-led investigation into graffiti.

In the early morning hours of November 7, more than 12 police officers showed up outside at an address in Springfield, Virginia, knocked, broke down the door, and raided the family home of two Palestinian American students at George Mason University.

University and Fairfax County police refused to show the family the warrant. One Fairfax County detective with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force — cross-designated as a local and federal agent — was also present. The family and Mason faculty supporting them, however, believe they know what the FBI-led investigation was about: the young family members’ pro-Palestine activism.

Two of the Palestinian American family’s daughters attend George Mason. One is an undergraduate student and the co-president of Mason’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. The other is in a master’s program at Mason and a former president of the school’s SJP chapter.

In short order, the school’s SJP chapter was suspended. Soon after, George Mason Police Chief Carl Rowan Jr. served the sisters with criminal trespass notices barring them from campus for four years — meaning that they can no longer continue their education

The severe moves against the family and the school’s SJP chapter are part of the latest wave of the crackdown against campus Palestine solidarity protests. As Israel’s war and demonstrations against it have dragged into a second year, the repression of Gaza protests continues to derail students’ education and ensnare them in disciplinary and court proceedings over activism on campus.

  • BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world
    122·
    15 days ago

    Unidentified individuals sprayed graffiti appearing to relate to the Israel-Hamas war on the Rafik B. Hariri Building Oct. 16.

    The graffiti follows a similar act of vandalism Sept. 20, when a still-unidentified individual sprayed graffiti on the John Carroll statue and the temporary “Hoya Saxa” sign on Copley Lawn.

    “Just days after the zionist entity besieged northern Gaza, burning hospital patients alive, war criminal Joseph Votel, former commander of CENTCOM- one of the bloodiest branches of the US empire- is speaking at a panel today featuring several other government officials and executives within the war industry,” the account wrote in one of its posts “As head of CENTCOM, Votel developed deep ties with the zionist entity, meeting with IOF Chief of Staff in April 2018.”

    In the past week, Israel’s military, known as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) but referred to by protestors as the Israel Occupation Forces (IOF), has launched increased military offensives in Northern Gaza, blocking humanitarian aid to the region and killing at least 350 Palestinians.

    Yup. Graffiti is the only crime I can see. /s