The president made it clear that the group doesn’t represent the school. That must have taken the wind out of their sails.The University of Arizona chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine canceled its Oct. 12 demonstration after President Dr. Robert C. Robbins issued a statement separating the university from the values of the group.
The national organization – National Students for Justice in Palestine – is affiliated with 250+ chapters of SJP clubs across North America. The club has sparked controversy since the Saturday, Oct. 7 bombing of a music festival in Israel by Hamas, followed by a declaration of war against Hamas by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to the Associated Press, “Hamas’ assault on Saturday killed more than 1,300 people in Israel, including 247 soldiers — a toll unseen in Israel for decades — and the ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed more than 1,400 people in Gaza, according to authorities on both sides.” It is unclear what specific statement made by SJP that Robbins referred to in his statement, but his wariness is shared by Michigan Republican Congressman Tim Walberg, who led 43 colleagues in writing a letter to the U.S. Department of Education warning against SJP and its Oct. 12 National Day of Resistance.