By Ed Dvir
A student group at New York University named NYU Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) effectively blamed Israel for the recent highly publicized killings of black men by American cops in the past few days.
“In the past 48 hours another two black men have been lynched by the police. The total number of black people lynched by cops in 2016 now totals 136. We must remember that many US police departments train with the#IsraeliDefenceForces,” the NYU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine wrote on their Facebook page.
“The same forces behind the genocide of black people in america are behind the genocide of palestinians. What this means is that Palestinians must stand with our black comrades. We must struggle for their liberation.”
The group went on to write,
“Palestinian liberation and black liberation go together. We must recognize this and commit to building for it.”
While the group’s title suggests it is a solely student group, according to its website it “is a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, and community members.”
Northeastern University’s SJP leaders. Photo: Ilya Feoktistov
The post was mainly liked by their followers, but a few brave Jews stood up to them and voiced shock and dismay and this ridiculous conflation. Among them was Johnathan Robbins who said “US cops train with the IDF to learn how to better protect US citizens from terrorists. After all, it’s Israelis that need to deal with the random stabbings and car rammings that you consider legitimate political expression. To co-opt the pain of our black brothers and sisters and somehow relate it to your cause is disingenuous and despicable.”
Daniel Oppenheimer, an attorney from Florida said, “The SJP is a hateful and bigoted organization that spreads its repulsive and divisive rhetoric under the guise of human rights. That NYU allows this hate to exist on their campus is beyond me.”
This is not the first time the group has been in the news. In 2014, Jewish students at NYU found “eviction notices” on their dormitory doors from the organization which stated: “If you do not vacate the premise by midnight on 25 April, 2014 we reserve the right to destroy all remaining belongings. We cannot be held responsible for property or persons remaining inside the premises.”
The fliers went on to say they weren’t real eviction notices — just representations of what Palestinians allegedly receive from the Israeli government. Students for Justice in Palestine posted the fliers, according to The New York Post. Later that year a Jewish Temple Univ. student was punched in the face and called a ‘Kike’ in am anti-semitic attack.
