POV: A Plea for Equitable Support for Pro-Palestinian Students
Two students argue that BU’s response to the war has not gone far enough to protect students on both sides equally
Photo by Oleksii Liskonih/iStock
POV: A Plea for Equitable Support for Pro-Palestinian Students
Two students argue that BU’s response to the war has not gone far enough to protect students on both sides equally
Since October 7, the world has witnessed the escalation of tensions in the Levant. Hamas ruthlessly killed 1,200 and kidnapped 242 people, which prompted Israel to continue enacting atrocities by killing well over 15,000 Palestinians and holding 2,000 people hostage. Being thousands of miles away, it can feel like there is not much we can do. However, BU leadership can control how it shows up for our students, and without a doubt, we believe the support offered by Boston University has been exclusionary.
A perception of anti-Palestinian consensus
An email from BU’s President Ad Interim Kenneth Freeman caused dismay among students. The message acknowledged the “horrific conflict,” and it rightfully condemned the attack by Hamas. Yet, it notably lacked mention of the suffering experienced by Palestinians. This omission is not trivial. It speaks to a feeling of invisibility and intense isolation students are feeling. Regardless of his intention, the impact is that many students now feel that BU is not a place for them.
In the absence of another statement from the president, students have taken it upon themselves to advocate for their marginalized peers. This is evidenced by the vast majority of Kilachand Honors College students who boycotted classes for a week or the thousands of BU students who have participated in actions that include an email campaign, a three-hour sit-in, multiple protests, a vigil, a march in D.C., and a die-in.
For students who have been taught to recognize and empathize with the plight of all oppressed peoples, such a one-sided narrative contradicts the values of understanding and equity. The community’s disappointment is rooted in this perceived absence of balanced empathy—where the University’s words do not echo its commitment to fostering an environment that respects and acknowledges the complex realities of all its students.
It is the expectation of the student body that the University’s declarations and actions should be reflective of an unbiased and inclusive support system, one that condemns violence and injustice wherever it occurs, without partiality.
Weaponization of campus resources
Campus resources have further isolated students by denying help through omission, or, in our view, explicitly surveilling students. The most egregious example is the “Israel in Crisis Campus Plan” by Hillel, which works with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the president’s office, and asks students to submit “emails, pictures, and videos” under the guise of combating antisemitism. While protecting students from discrimination is paramount, we believe Hillel and the ADL have conflated anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel with antisemitism, which is contentious and suppresses legitimate political expression. Hillel also has vast resources to implement this plan as, according to their own filings, they had annual revenue of over $1.3 million for the past several years. And according to an email Hillel sent out to “Our BU Hillel Community,” it has a family that will match up to $100,000 to implement this Israel in Crisis Campus Plan.
Let us be clear: Hillel has also provided numerous services, including its Hanukkah celebration, that have been widely beneficial to Jewish students, and anti-Zionist Jewish students. This is not a call for the abolition of resources to Jewish students; rather, this is a call to stop surveilling students—and to create equity in resources available. For example, the University’s only consistent support for Muslim students is the Islamic Society of Boston University, a student-run club.
Increase in harassment
While it remains to be seen what Hillel will do with the surveillance it collects, it is clear these calls to action have had consequences. BU students have been recorded and posted online, which has made them the subject of doxing and harassment, including death threats and the publication of their personal and familial information online.
The suppression of political activity and harassment even goes as far as shaming students fundraising for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), whose mission is “to provide medical and humanitarian relief collectively and individually to Arab children throughout the Levant, regardless of their nationality, politics or religion.” Over a dozen student organizations and their respective club members have been fundraising for the PCRF, and during our time fundraising, we have been photographed, with the implication that we will be the target of online harassment like students at our University and across America have been. We are also regularly verbally accosted by other BU students. Muslim students have been called terrorists, and women have been accused of supporting rape and infanticide.
Regardless of your political opinion, you should join us in asking the University to condemn these actions in the strongest terms and rectify its failure to protect all students equally.
A call for decisive leadership and respect
As we have seen, BU is capable of swiftly mobilizing resources and putting out statements when it comes to acts that are perceived as anti-Israel. However, despite ongoing harassment against pro-Palestinian students, Boston University has failed to act just as swiftly in condemning those acts. The University must ensure the safety of all students, particularly those of Palestinian, Jewish, Arab, and Muslim backgrounds, during these tense times. We call on BU’s president to publicly denounce harassment, provide equitable resources, enforce consequences for compromising student safety, reexamine policies and investments that are discriminatory, and promote respectful political discourse and activism.
“POV” is an opinion page that provides timely commentaries from students, faculty, and staff on a variety of issues: on-campus, local, state, national, or international. Anyone interested in submitting a piece, which should be about 700 words long, should contact John O’Rourke at orourkej@bu.edu. BU Today reserves the right to reject or edit submissions. The views expressed are solely those of the author and are not intended to represent the views of Boston University.
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