Protester 1 [chanting]: From the river to the sea!
Crowd: From the river to the sea!
Protestor 1: Palestine will be free!
Crowd: Palestine will be free!
Last evening saw a passionate demonstration on campus meant to show solidarity with Palestine. The USC Students for Justice in Palestine led a march of about 100 protesters across campus. Many protesters wore scarves or masks to obscure their faces and did not give their names, citing concerns about their personal safety. But they had a strong message to deliver. One of the march’s leaders called on Annenberg Media to quote, “take responsibility” for their content.
Protestor 2: It’s time for the Daily Trojan and Annenberg Media to take responsibility for the impact of their content. Let’s work together to ensure accurate, fair and respectful coverage that upholds the principles of journalism. And I don’t need to teach that to the number one journalism school in the country!
Professor Sarah Gualtieri, an expert in Middle Eastern studies, describes how the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza is viewed from different perspectives.
Sarah Gualtieri: It’s very important for your listeners to understand that the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948 is understood very differently among different populations. So in an Israeli textbook, this would be referred to as a war of independence. But in Arabic language textbooks, the same day, the same event, so to speak, is referred to as a catastrophe ... a historic loss of Palestine, and the emergence of a massive refugee population.
Gualtieri says that anti-Arab racism is challenging Arab Americans, and particularly in this moment Palestinian Americans.
Gualtieri: I mean, you’ve had Arab migration to the Americas, including the United States, really since the late 19th and early 20th century. And I have worked in my both academic and activist life with young Arab Americans, most especially, who are encountering challenging forms of anti-Arab racism.
On USC’s campus, the Palestinian supporters gave a strong message.
Protester 2: Our commitment is resolute. We will not cease until the atrocities in Palestine come to an end, and until every Trojan - every Trojan - every Trojan’s First Amendment rights are fully protected. Never thought I’d say that in 2023! [applause] I tell every one of you that puts 80 thousand dollars and still does not have a voice on this campus, that one day, one day we will be free. One day I will take off this mask! [applause]
Gualtieri says that the protesters are not the only ones concerned about backlash. She has known people who have lost jobs over their position on the conflict, faculty who have been told not to share their statements publicly. She herself says she “chooses carefully” when speaking to media nowadays.
Crowd: Ceasefire now! Ceasefire now! Ceasefire now! Ceasefire now! Ceasefire now! Ceasefire now! Ceasefire now ...
For Annenberg Media, I’m Marie Louise Leone.