Students for Justice in Palestine Society: Activist Officer

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.

As a Palestinian, I've dedicated myself to advocacy and reaching out to to those around me and getting them involved in activism. My father grew up in Gaza his entire childhood, and everyday, he has never let us forget our roots and our duty to our people. He instilled in us a great, all-encompassing love for our homeland and a determination to see our people freed. This manifested in Craving Palestine, a project co-founded by my mother and I with the goal of elucidating the richness of Palestinian food and culture, bringing together influential Palestinians around the world in order to illustrate that despite the diaspora, we remain united. I'm immensely grateful for this experience, as it allowed me to give back in a meaningful way. This experience emphasized to me that activism is necessary, and that it is our duty as human beings to recognize where injustice festers and to actively fight it. This year, I served as Freshers Rep for SJP, and in doing so, witnessed the tangible love and work ethic directed by our committee to encouraging Palestinian activism on campus. I've been inspired by my committee members, and have learned so much. I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and look forward to (hopefully!) being able to continue this work next year and throughout my time at UCL. In this position, I would be extremely productive, and would thoroughly dedicate myself to encouraging and enabling opportunities for Palestinian activism at UCL.

The Palestinian struggle is one which I have witnessed my entire life. Their ethnic cleansing is a modern injustice, shrouding darkness, and inexorable questions regarding our complicity.  We shouldn’t tolerate the persecution of a people so alike ourselves, in principles and humanity.

This nomination is an opportunity for me to use my skillset and knowledge in a practical setting. My passion transcends from ideas into peaceful, meaningful action – centred and focused with the hearts of the Palestinian people at its forefront.

I can project and articulate myself productively to help maintain the Palestinian cause on campus. In this position I ultimately hope to turn the tides in favour of the oppressed, and to launch from the back foot towards justice.

I have a clear vision for the future, I hope you vote for me ?