Status
Elected
My name is Sarah Anabtawi. I am a first-year law student, and freshers’ rep for SJP.
Where Palestinians' voices are quelled by colonial Israel, we have an obligation to make them heard to the rest of the world. That is the duty of a Palestinian activist living in the West. Now, as the tides are slowly but surely turning, and the world is beginning to see the atrocities that Palestinians have and continue to face, it is more important than ever to be active. This is the time to protest, to boycott, to make our demands loud and clear: Palestine must be free, and the apartheid system must be dismantled.
There is a certain fear attached to attending protests, to chanting slogans such as “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free”. We have all seen lecturers dismissed from their positions and students slandered for their support of the cause, so it is important to equip ourselves with the tools to protect ourselves. This means knowing how to safely engage in peaceful protest, communicating with organisations that offer legal support to students at risk of facing disciplinary action, so on. We will take all the necessary precautions to ensure you are safe.
Nonetheless, we must remain steadfast in our activism. Our Palestinian brothers and sisters sacrifice their livelihood for the cause; the least we can do is stand up and show solidarity. This is the attitude I will carry with me as your Activist Officer next year. Thank you for reading.