Seven months later, students still demand Florida State to divest from Israel

Seven months after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, students at Florida State are still taking action against the university’s support of Israel.

Tallahassee's Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) chapter, formerly a university-recognized group until its suspension following its interruption of a Board of Trustees meeting, along with other local activist groups hosted a protest last week on Apr. 12 pressing for FSU’s divestment from Israel. 

The groups called for the university to relinquish its funding of Boeing, which sells weapons including bombs to Israel, and to cut ties with the Birthright Israel program, which sends Jewish students on an all-expenses-paid trip to Israel for ten-days.

Around 20-30 protestors gathered near the Integration Statue last Friday, handing out signs with sayings like “humanity over politics,” “FSU divest” and “from the river to the sea.” 

Tavyan Dorsey, vice president of Tallahassee SDS, led protestors in a march to Landis Green. During their march, protestors engaged in chants such as “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “not another nickel, not another dime, no more money towards Israel’s crimes.”

Five "safety marshalls" from participating organizations, wearing bright green vests, were stationed throughout the crowd and were tasked with keeping the event peaceful and avoiding violence. Many police officers were also present during the protest.

The protestors' arrival at Landis Green was followed by speeches from members of each organization. With the speakers' voices amplified by a megaphone, students all over Landis turned their heads to listen.

The first speaker, introduced as Chi Chi, highlighted local ties to the conflict in Palestine.

“When FSU continues to only recognize Israeli lives, we will recognize the sacrifice of the Palestinians. When the Tallahassee Police Department unjustly puts another Black man in jail, we will demand his justice,” they said, referencing the controversy regarding a TPD officer allegedly planting evidence in a Black Tallahassee citizen’s car.

Delilah Pierre, president of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, expressed frustration with the lack of progress made since October when a similar protest was held on campus following the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel.

“It’s been months since October seventh. Months, while thousands and thousands of Palestinians have died,” she said. “Has [President] McCullough released a statement in support of the Palestinian people? He released a statement for Israeli students. They had the audacity to hold an Israel week here, where they had an IDF soldier come to speak.”

From April 1-5, FSU’s Jewish Student Union hosted “Israel Week” alongside other Jewish student groups. The week’s programming drew criticism from pro-Palestinian students for its event entitled “Heroes of the IDF: Finding Meaning Among Tragedy.”

Many left comments expressing their distaste in an Instagram post announcing the week’s events. There are over 400 comments with both backlash and support.

“Unbelievable that student government is funding this while FSU actively represses free speech for Palestinians. Shame,” reads one comment with over 35 likes.

Throughout the march, protestors reflected on how their movement has changed since October.

“I think more people are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause right now, but at the same time, there’s less momentum around it. It’s kind of like everybody was sort of galvanized around October,” said SDS President Joelle Nunez.

In January, Tallahassee SDS lost recognition as a registered student organization by the university for interrupting a Board of Trustees meeting. This came after the student group Students for Justice in Palestine, which did not have a chapter at FSU, was ordered to disband in Florida for allegedly supporting Hamas, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union.

“The day after Ron DeSantis said he wanted to make Florida the most pro-Israel state in America, he ordered universities to shut down Students for Justice in Palestine. They tried to beat the Palestinian resistance into submission,” said Oliver Cheese, a member of SDS.

Despite expressing frustration with governmental and university pushback against pro-Palestinian efforts both on campus and at large, many of those present at the protest said they still feel optimistic about the future of the cause.

“We the people have the power to affect change,” said Natalia Vargas Cotto, president of Tallahassee Community College’s Florida Student Power Network chapter. “We must hold our legislature accountable, making them uncomfortable until justice is served.”