Introduction
Since October 7, 2023, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) has amped up its extremist activities on college campuses, and has been heavily involved in anti-Israel protests and campus encampments. One recent example took place on November 21, 2024, when anti-Israel protesters, SJP members prominently among them, gathered outside the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life at Columbia University, which houses the Jewish student organization Hillel, disrupting an event featuring Israeli-American journalist Barak Ravid.[1] Protesters were filmed chanting: "Hillel, Hillel, you can't hide, you invest in genocide"; "Over 100,000 people dead, Hillel your hands are red"; and "Resistance is justified."[2]
The anti-Zionist organization has chapters in universities across the U.S., which are affiliated with the organization National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP). SJP was banned from Florida universities by Governor Ron DeSantis on October 24, 2023,[3] and the Columbia University SJP chapter was suspended in November 2023.[4] In May 2024, a lawsuit was filed against SJP, alleging it is distributing propaganda and recruiting for Hamas.[5]
The following is a collection of posts from Columbia SJP's account on the encrypted platform Telegram. The posts include open praise of Palestinian 'martyrs' who carried out terror attacks against civilians, internationally designated terror organizations Hamas and Hizbullah and their leaders, and honoring the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 Israelis, calling it a "strategic and anti-imperialist" act of resistance.
For more about the activities of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) in U.S. universities, see MEMRI TV clips 11574, 11350, 11175, 11079, 11031, 10312, 10403, 9471.
Overview
The Columbia University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) was created on May 27, 2024 and has almost 4,000 subscribers as of writing. The account description reads: "Long live Hind's Hall, long live the student intifada, glory to our martyrs. Fighting until divestment, liberation, and return." "Hind's Hall" refers to the April 30 protest renaming Columbia's Hamilton Hall after Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza.[6] The description also features the Hamas symbol of an inverted red triangle, originally used in Hamas videos to point to Israeli targets, which is now being used by anti-Israel protests in the West and is sometimes directed at Jewish students (see MEMRI Report – The Inverted Red Triangle Symbol, Identified With Hamas And Seen In U.S. Student Protests, Is An Open Call For Attacks On Israeli Targets).
The description of Columbia SJP's Telegram channel.
The first post states that the account was created because "Meta has begun a coordinated suppression campaign" against pro-Palestine accounts on Instagram. The post urged supporters to share the new account on Telegram.
The Telegram account for Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (t.me/SJPcolumbia), created on May 27, 2024.
Columbia SJP's Telegram post on the November 21 anti-Israel protest outside the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life.
Marking The Anniversary Of The October 7, 2023 Attack On Israeli Civilians: "Commemorating One Year Of The Strategic And Anti-Imperialist Al-Aqsa Flood"
On October 7, 2024, the Columbia SJP Telegram channel published a lengthy post titled: "Commemorating One Year Of The Strategic And Anti-Imperialist Al-Aqsa Flood." The post discussed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's statement from October 7, 2023, underlining that the attacks on Israeli civilians were neither a "horrific act of barbarians" nor the "unfortunate product of desperate people," describing it instead as "a strategic counteroffensive of the oppressed against imperialist aggression."
The previous day, the channel shared posters advertising a "walkout for Palestine", writing: "The Palestinian resistance will free us all, it is our duty to join the fight."
Honoring 'Martyred' Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar
On October 18, 2024, following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the channel published several posts honoring his life and work, framing him as a heroic leader, adding: "Glory to all the martyrs". The channel also provided links to a book authored by Sinwar describing his time in Israeli prison.
Praising Lebanese Hizbullah, Honoring Nasrallah: "Today Lebanon, Tomorrow Palestine"
On May 28, 2024, the channel published a post praising Lebanese Hizbullah for "liberating" southern Lebanon from Israeli "occupation". Another post added: "The Palestinian resistance will soon sign the death certificate of the occupation. Today Lebanon, tomorrow Palestine."
Following the death of Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, the Telegram channel posted on September 29 a video memorializing and praising his life and work.
On November 15, the channel published a post honoring Hizbullah commander Ibrahim Aqil, who was involved in 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 U.S. service personnel and the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut which killed 63 people earlier that year.
Valorizing Palestinian Terror Groups, Leaders, And "Martyrs": Hamas Founder Ahmad Yassin, Hamas Military Commander Mohammed Deif, PFLP Founder George Habash
On May 29, 2024, the channel shared a video lionizing Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, describing him as "the Palestinian mastermind labeled 'the one who refuses to die' by the enemy & western media due to 9 failed assassination attempts against him, 'Israel's' most wanted man."
The same day, the channel shared a video valorizing a Hamas military wing fighter who lost both his legs. The text of the post read: "These men will never be defeated."
On May 30, the channel published two posts honoring Fatima Bernawi, who was sentenced to life in prison for planting a bomb in 1967 in the Zion Cinema in Jerusalem, but was released after a decade. She is considered the first Fatah prisoner.
In three videos shared on May 31, the channel highlighted the women's unit of the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), the National Resistance Brigades.
A June 1st series of posts celebrated George Habash, founder of terror group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). One post quoted Habash as saying: "Our real enemy is not Israel and Zionism only, it is American Imperialism, who is backing Israel because Israel is... a bodyguard for American imperialist interests."
The channel went on to praise Fatah terrorist Dalal Mughrabi on June 5. Mughrabi was deputy-commander of the deadly March 1978 Coastal Road attack on an Israeli bus in which 35 civilians were killed, including 13 children and teenagers, and 71 people were wounded. The post described Mughrabi as having been "martyred" by Israeli forces.
On June 10, the channel shared a video on "martyr" Omar Al-Qasim, describing him as "a prominent leader from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine [DFLP], with their military wing being named after him."
In a pinned post, the channel shared several posters describing the different jihadi factions that make up the "Palestinian resistance". The post added: "Educate yourself and render yourself immune to Zionist propaganda."
The channel posted links to interviews with Hamas officials Basem Naim and Ghazi Hamad on July 9, including quoted passages in the Telegram post.
A September 3 post highlighted the life and work of Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin.
Posts from November 1 celebrated "maryred" Fatah commander Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi, who carried out several shootings in the West Bank and was was killed in an August 2022 firefight with Israeli forces.
[1] Columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/11/22/pro-palestinian-protesters-call-to-sever-all-ties-with-hillel-outside-kraft-center/, November 22, 20243.
[2] X.com/LishiBaker/status/1859730599839445096; X.com/edenyadegar/status/1859744929146458377; X.com/Eliana_Goldin/status/1859722487480922128, November 21, 2024.
[3] Reuters.com/world/us/floridas-desantis-bans-pro-palestinian-student-group-2023-10-25, October 24, 2023.
[4] Columbiaspectator.com/news/2023/11/10/columbia-suspends-sjp-and-jvp-following-unauthorized-thursday-walkout/, November 10, 2023.
[5] Hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/counterterrorism/major-u-s-law-firm-files-lawsuit-against-students-for-justice-in-palestine-over-alleged-ties-to-hamas-activities, May 7, 2024.
[6] Columbiaspectator.com/main/2024/05/12/in-focus-when-hamilton-hall-became-hinds-hall, May 12, 2024.