Students for Justice in Palestine Society: Activist Officer

My name is Sarah Anabtawi. I am a second-year law student and current Activist Officer for SJP 2022-2023. I am very proud of the work our committee undertook this past academic year, but there remains much to be done.

The primary responsibility of an Activist Officer is to champion the Palestinian cause by pushing for direct change, as well as raising awareness among the student body. There are three things I aim to focus on in order to achieve this:

1. Remove the IHRA definition, which is detrimental to any meaningful discourse on the Palestinian cause. This is necessary to ensure the academic freedom of all students who wish to learn of the Palestinian side of the story, so to speak. A working group in the Academic Board has already released a report in favour of the removal of the IHRA definition. The responsibility now falls on us, the students, to make clear our rejection of a definition which stifles our right to defend the Palestinian cause.
2. Demilitarising UCL. In collaboration with other societies, such as Demilitarise UCL, we must end UCL’s complicit ties with the Israel’s apartheid regime. We must push forward on BDS policies in the SU.
3. Expand the outreach of SJP. Whether by organising peaceful protests, as we had done last February, publishing articles, or collaborating with as many societies as possible—we must make our voices heard, and touch as many minds possible.

I hope you vote for me to be your Activist Officer for 2023-2024. Thank you!