“THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING”

Hind's Hall activists reject divisive deals, IOF admits Hamas cannot be defeated, CUAD rejects opportunistic politicians, Unite with Harlem against Columbia, Lessons from our first reading group

Contents:

I. “THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING”: HIND’S HALL ACTIVISTS REJECT THE STATE’S ATTEMPTS TO DIVIDE OUR MOVEMENT

II. IOF SPOKESPERSON CLAIMS THAT THE RESISTANCE IS UNDEFEATABLE

III. CAPITALIST POLITICIANS DON'T REPRESENT US

IV. JUNETEENTH RALLY FOR HOUSING JUSTICE - RESCIND COLUMBIA'S EDUCATIONAL MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

V. "WITHOUT A REVOLUTIONARY THEORY THERE CAN BE NO REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT"

“THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.” HIND’S HALL ACTIVISTS REJECT THE STATE’S ATTEMPTS TO DIVIDE OUR MOVEMENT

On Thursday, June 20th, students, staff, and community members across the city packed the New York County Criminal Court in solidarity with the activists of Hind's Hall. The District Attorney dropped charges against thirty students and staff members who took over Hind’s Hall. However, sticking with their reactionary "outside agitator" narrative, charges against the "non-affiliate" activists remain. Some of those individuals were offered deals, which they unanimously rejected to stand united with those not offered the same.

These attempts by imperialist lackeys, whether they be the Columbia administration or the criminal justice system, to fracture our movement are destined to fail. They believe that by offering deals to a few, those individuals will turn their backs on their comrades and capitulate to the enemy. They aim to inject our movement with doubt and reformism, but their efforts will not succeed. The Hind's Hall 46 are resolute, following the lead of the CUNY22 and others facing felony charges by refusing any deals and presenting a united front against state repression. 

One comrade highlighted the importance of court support, saying, “In addition to showing solidarity with comrades navigating our dehumanizing criminal legal system, court support and packing the court is an important way to present a united front and apply pressure. Showing up in numbers demonstrates to prosecutors and judges that we stand together as a movement and community that refuses to be intimidated and silenced.” 

After the hearing, over 100 supporters gathered in the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Plaza near the court, reconnecting and showing their support for the Hind's Hall 46 before their press conference outside of the court. At the press conference, the activists reaffirmed their convictions, stating, “all forms of principled action against genocide are legitimate… we refuse to condemn Palestinian resistance and we refuse to condemn direct action.” This powerful declaration reinforces our movement's commitment to the struggle and our refusal to be divided by the lines drawn by the state.

Affiliate or non-affiliate, Columbia student or CUNY student, these are just some of the lines with which the oppressors seek to divide us. But we remain united. The state’s attempt to slap severe charges on CUNY students, while offering deals to others, is a transparent effort to weaken our movement. We do not recognize these lines: we are all part of one movement against imperialism.

The activists made it clear by rejecting the DA’s deal that they stand in solidarity with CUNY organizers and all others facing extreme state repression. “Free Casey Goonan. Free Jack Mazurek. Free the Cop City 61. Drop the charges of the Merrimack 4 and the Holy Land 5. Free Leonard Peltier,” they stated, linking our struggles.

Despite the trumped-up charges and other mechanisms our enemies use to beat us down, we will not stop. As the activists made clear, we will only escalate. We will not rest until Palestine is free.

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Free Casey Goonan, who is being held on one million dollar bail after the state singularly targeted them for direct action which "Pro-Palestine groups in Berkeley have bravely and rightly taken responsibility for."

Free Jack Mazurek, who the Atlanta Police Department violently arrested in an attempt to surpress the #StopCopCity movement. 

Free the Cop City 61, who are being slapped with RICO Charges after "donating to bail funds, handing out fliers, and self-publishing magazines." 

Drop the charges of the Merrimack 3, who are facing state repression because they demonstrated against Elbit systems, a company that profits from selling technology that is used to maintain apartheid.

Drop the charges of the Holy Land Foundation 5, who were incarcerated on bogus charges of "financing terrorism" after raising money for aid for Palestinians. 

Free Leonard Peltier, who has been imprisoned since 1977 for protecting his community from state repression.

IOF SPOKESPERSON CLAIMS THAT THE RESISTANCE IS UNDEFEATABLE

In an interview on June 19^th, IOF spokesperson Daniel Hagari admits to witnessing the invincibility of the Palestinian resistance: “Hamas is an idea [...] It is rooted in the hearts of the people – whoever thinks we can eliminate Hamas is mistaken.”

Hagari’s claim that armed resistance is rooted in the hearts of the people is an indisputable truth. Armed resistance against oppressors is ingrained in the masses because the war for liberation is a just and logical one, while the imperialist war for genocide and occupation is unjust and barbaric. Surveys conducted this month found that the resistance forces have more support among Palestinians now than before October 7^th in virtually all aspects. Hagari correctly confesses that the resistance cannot be eliminated – the current size of the resistance force is reported to be over 10 times larger than that which carried out the October 7^th counteroffensive. Their successes in stalling Israel’s genocidal military campaign, securing the release of Palestinian prisoners, and catalyzing the mass movement in support of Palestinian liberation have all been found to further increase the Palestinian people’s backing of and mobilization into taking up the gun towards liberation.

The victories of the heroic armed resistance of the Palestinian people have clearly demonstrated the inevitability of Palestinian liberation and the destruction of imperialism, so much so that even the enemy publicly admits to this fact. Hamas official Ghazi Hamad welcomes Hagari’s remarks, rightly calling it an “admission that [Israel] has already failed.” He maintains that “[Al Aqsa Flood] will change the course of history and will convince the international community that the Hamas movement will remain in the political scene, and will be a permanent part of the social fabric and the fabric of resistance.” The resistance continues to conquer triumphs far and wide as they destroy US-supplied drones and tanks, kill enemy troops, and attack Israeli military headquarters in their steadfast fight for liberation. They reaffirm once again that when war is waged by oppressed people who are firmly rooted in the masses, the imperialists and their lackeys can never restrain such force from conquering liberation, no matter how technologically advanced.

Failing to achieve military victory over the Palestinian armed resistance, imperialists and their lackeys scurry to win by turning to diplomatic means of victory. Admitting the invincibility of the resistance, Hagari urges US imperialists and Zionists to put on their farcical ‘peacemaker’ masks and negotiate with the reactionary imperialist-puppet Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority – all while they continue to escalate their genocidal aggression in an attempt to obscure and compensate for their fear of losing control and outright failure to defeat the armed resistance. The masses will not be fooled. Negligible support for the anti-resistance PA has shrunk to even more minuscule numbers since Al-Aqsa Flood. The Palestinian people have chosen armed violence to destroy Zionism and US imperialism, because unjust war and genocide can only be countered by waging a just war and no alternative road can be chosen.

CAPITALIST POLITICIANS DON'T REPRESENT US

In our current conditions, the United States is a democracy only for the rich. The imperialist class is currently in power, and as such, politicians are merely servants for these wealthy oligarchs. A politician's duty is to utilize the state bureaucracy to cater to the imperialists' needs. They act in tandem with the police and armed forces who serve to enforce laws that benefit the rich and their property. This fact was epitomized locally by the billionaire group chat that conspired to pressure Mayor Eric Adams and President Shafik to unleash hundreds of riot cops onto our comrades. Substitute Adams or Shafik with any imperialist lackey and the results would have been the same. The issue lies not in any particular individual, but in the rotted, reactionary system they uphold. Politicians, police, and university administrators serve to preserve the ruling class's interests and maintain the status quo. No matter who they are or what they claim to stand for, their role is to protect the profit-driven motives of their institutions. 

A politician's obsequious tendencies can take on numerous manifestations. We have seen such flagrant opportunism on our own campus when, in a bid to run damage control for her decaying Democrat party, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez visited our second encampment. AOC had the audacity to feign support for our movement, which primarily calls for Columbia's divestment from so-called Israel, while simultaneously materially supporting the United States' investments in the genocidal state, which are far more significant and impactful than Columbia's. 

So-called progressives like AOC might publicly condemn Israel's actions as genocidal, but this rhetorical posturing belies their material support for the Zionist entity. They endorse strengthening the Iron Dome and increasing "aid" to Israel (in reality, aid to US weapons manufacturers while increasing US control of Israel). Former squad member Jamaal Bowman's recent defeat underscores the charade of capitalist  democracy and sends a clear message to any "progressive" who wants to play both sides. Like AOC, Bowman hypocritically condemned Israel's genocidal actions while simultaneously advocating for more U.S. funding to the very same regime. His defeat, largely attributed to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), highlights the farcical nature of electoral politics.

Imperialists will funnel money into whichever candidate can best do their bidding. Speaking out against their interests will ensure their defeat, particularly when these candidates already lack the popular support of the people with their hypocrisy and impotence. Meanwhile, politicians outside of the two-party system try to pull people back into a dying system in the hopes that they can offer a way out through peaceful means. Those in our movement grasp the futility of voting for and relying on elected officials, regardless of the party. During one People's Assembly at our second encampment, the overwhelming majority voted to bar politicians from speaking. We refuse to be used as pawns in the damage control game for demented Joe Biden, who continues to lie about ceasefire deals while bragging about the obscene amounts of money and weapons to the genocidal Zionist regime.

Supporting any party of the imperialist ruling class is inherently endorsing and legimitimizing their oppressive actions. We must reject the illusion of democracy presented by these politicians and instead mobilize, agitate, and organize to realize our collective will. We cannot rely on the goodwill of imperialists and their lackeys; only through our concerted efforts can we force meaningful change. 

JUNETEENTH RALLY FOR HOUSING JUSTICE - RESCIND COLUMBIA'S EDUCATIONAL MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

"No one has more ideas and solutions about how to promote the health and safety of Harlem than Harlem does. No one breathes more life and vibrancy into Harlem than Harlem does. It is only logical then, that Harlem itself dictates its future." - speaker at the rally.

On June 19th, the Harlem community and Columbia students united to rally for Defend Harlem's demand: for Columbia to rescind its Educational Mixed-Use Development Program. The Columbia University Educational Mixed-Use Development Program includes Columbia’s acquisition of 200,000 square feet of land per year from West Harlem and Washington Heights, totaling 5-6 million square feet - approximately 30 blocks - over the span of 25 years. This program was approved by the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) in 2008. ESDC is New York’s quasi-private corporation that works with monopoly real estates and advances their investments in housing markets around the state. With the ESDC's approval, Columbia can exercise eminent domain, which is the government’s power to acquire property without the owner’s consent. Columbia can also exercise property tax exemption which totals to around $179 million in tax breaks each year. As a speaker at the rally pointed out, this "equals to the dollar amount that Columbia has committed to Harlem over the course of 36 years," despite its promises of "community investment and collaboration" with Harlem.

In order to realize profits and out-compete each other, real estate monopolies like Columbia advance their investments in housing markets by purchasing property from smaller-scale real estates. This leads to excessive increases in rent, resulting in forced evictions and displacement of poor and working class tenants. The following are excerpts from an interview with a Harlem resident at the rally. She describes these oppressive conditions, and what she hopes this rally will lead to:

"For the families like our families - my mom, she was a part of Harlem since 1958 - when you see the gentrification, who the 'revitalization' is for, it's kind of a slap in the face. A lot of the money that is put here don't stay here. Those dollars don't benefit the community. When the median average income is $43,000 for a family of 3 or 4, you can't pay $3,000 a month for a 2 bedroom apartment. This is not rocket science. Now there's also a bunch of disclaimers. If you have a criminal record, you can't get an apartment. If you have bad credit, you can't get an apartment. And if you don't have bad credit, you pay so much that by the time you do get an apartment, you will have bad credit and it's all over.

"My husband and I, we drive to Jersey for food. For big food shopping, you go where you can afford it. If it takes 20 bucks to go across the bridge to save 120 bucks, I'm gonna do that. It's heartbreaking to see that my kids will never have the kind of opportunities that I thought that I was gonna have when I got out of school and started working. I'm hopeful, because I'm always optimistic. But it is heartbreaking when you step outside and you see what they got for themselves, but don't see like after-school programs, none of that has come to actuality. I'm glad people are starting to wake up. The fact is that it's still happening and we have time to make some demands with enough of us that are still here to say enough is enough. They can't displace us all and send us anywhere. Even in the projects, the calculation that they use to define affordable is crazy.

"When you are building up that high, you know that could be affordable housing. For every building you build, build one for someone else! For every two you build, give us 150 apartments! How hard is that? Build a daycare center in the building. There are many things that can be done, but their imagination is not being used for that. They don't see the world and think, 'How can we make that better?' Their imagination is only being used for how much more can they take over and to realize their vision of the class of people that they want around them. And all other classes be damned. It's not even a Black or white issue because I know people of many different demographics, white, Black, Hispanic, and Asian and they all complain about the same thing. We got everything taken away. When you take everything away from everybody, the only thing that's left is our passion and love for what can still be. Because we know what it can be. We know what you're doing, and we know what it can be."

In addition to advancing Columbia’s displacement of working-class tenants, ESDC partners with the Israel Innovation Authority, an arm of the Israeli Ministry of Economy to invest in programs to strengthen the Zionist state, such as one that aims “to transfer military capabilities to the civilian market.” In this way, the enemies of our struggle for divestment from Israel and the struggle for rescission of gentrification are one and the same. Combining the struggles serves as an educational tool to conduct the political work of uniting the student body and masses around interrogating and fighting genocide and displacement not as isolated policies of Columbia and Israel but as fundamental aspects of capitalist imperialism. Let us join ongoing efforts of Harlem organizers to demand Columbia rescind the Mixed-Use Development Program and to cut financial ties with ESDC! Let us get organized in service of the fight against imperialism!

"WITHOUT A REVOLUTIONARY THEORY THERE CAN BE NO REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT"

We begin with the powerful assertion above by Lenin, quoted in chapter 4 of Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. This quotation underscores the fundamental importance of theory in guiding action. On June 26th, CUAD members gathered to discuss chapters 3 and 4 of this seminal work, marking the first CUAD-wide reading group, initiated by our political education committee. This initiative aims to unite CUAD members through shared learning and critical dialogue in service of the practical aims of our movement.

The importance of a study group within an organization cannot be overstated. Theory serves as a guide to action, and through collective learning, we can elevate our own consciousness and that of our comrades within our movement. This critical engagement and reflection is crucial in advancing our goals of divestment in service of the liberation of Palestine. As Freire emphasizes, "Dialogue with the people is radically necessary to every authentic revolution." Our praxis must integrate both reflection and action, allowing us to internalize lessons, critically assess our strategies, and guide our future actions with theory that is grounded in the material facts of reality. By raising our consciousness, reflecting on our actions, and engaging with the masses, we can build a more effective and cohesive movement dedicated to achieving justice and liberation.

The following are the key takeaways from our discussion:

Lesson 1: "Dialogue cannot exist without humility."

As Paulo Freire highlights, genuine dialogue, crucial for re-creating the world through collective learning and action, requires humility. This humility ensures that our movement is a shared endeavor - one of collaboration, not arrogance and individualism. This approach is essential for our student movement. It ensures that our praxis—our blend of reflection and action—is grounded not only in revolutionary theory but also grounded in the understanding that learning through dialogue is a two way process, where both parties learn from the experiences and positions of one another. By recognizing that higher truth is developed out of the dialogue of the masses, we can more effectively raise our consciousness, critically evaluate our actions, and engage meaningfully with the broader community. This humility allows us to avoid the pitfalls of elitism and self-sufficiency, making our movement stronger and ultimately more capable of achieving our goals of divestment.

Lesson 2: "It is not the limit-situations in and of themselves which create a climate of hopelessness, but rather how they are perceived by women and men at a given historical moment."

Our study sessions enable us to critically assess these structures and strategize ways to overcome them. For example, by acknowledging and understanding the oppressive nature of the electoral system, we can recognize it as a limit-situation that perpetuates a facade of democracy while serving the interests of the ruling class. The current U.S. electoral system exemplifies a significant limit-situation. As a democracy for the rich, it ensures that politicians, regardless of their rhetoric, ultimately serve the needs of the imperialist class.

By engaging in our study group, we cultivate the critical consciousness necessary to perceive these realities and strategize collective actions to challenge them. We recognize that meaningful change cannot be achieved through reliance on electoral promises from politicians who, despite progressive posturing, ultimately uphold the status quo. Instead, through our concerted efforts in mobilizing, agitating, and organizing, we aim to transcend these limit-situations, moving beyond the illusion of democracy presented by the ruling class. Our study group, therefore, is not just a space for learning but a critical tool for revolutionary praxis, empowering us to transform our historical reality through informed and united action.

Lesson 3: "Those whose interests are served by that reality [of imperialism] cannot carry out revolution."

We learn from Freire that an authentic revolution seeks to transform the dehumanizing conditions of reality, a task that can only be carried out by those oppressed by these conditions. This transformation must involve a communion between leaders and the people, where both groups grow together and leaders are validated through their engagement with the people's praxis.

Applying this to our student movement, we must strive to unite as broadly as possible with those who share our conditions. Our collective struggle against oppression requires the active participation and consciousness of the majority. The mechanistic view that reality can be transformed without addressing false consciousness is flawed. True revolutionary action develops a deeper awareness of our reality and empowers us to act upon it.

In our movement, we recognize that history is made by people and that our participation as Subjects, not objects, is essential. To transcend our oppression, we must both reflect on and act upon the conditions we seek to change. Our study group, therefore, is not just a space for learning but a catalyst for unity and revolutionary action. By engaging in critical dialogue and reflection, we can forge a collective consciousness that drives meaningful change, uniting us in the fight to transform our reality and achieve liberation.

DIVEST AND BOYCOTT THE GENOCIDAL APARTHEID STATE OF SO-CALLED ISRAEL

GRANT COMPLETE AMNESTY TO STUDENT PROTESTORS

LONG LIVE THE STUDENT INTIFADA

LONG LIVE THE PALESTINIAN NATIONAL RESISTANCE

FREE PALESTINE FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA WITHIN OUR LIFETIME

GLORY TO ALL OUR MARTYRS