Vermont church holds pro-Hamas protest training
By Guy Page
At the University of Vermont, Middlebury College, Dartmouth College and the Lyndonville campus of Vermont State University, students and staff are supporting Hamas and Palestine and protesting Israel efforts to hunt down the attackers in the Oct. 7 raid that killed 1400 Israelis and took hundreds hostage.
At Dartmouth, in Hanover, NH across the Connecticut River from White River Junction, the protest resulted in the early-morning arrest of 90 students and non-students.
Also, the Unitarian-Universalist Church in Barre is hosting a gathering to support the UVM protest.
Dartmouth College: Police arrest 90 students, non-students
In a well-written and photographed account, The Dartmouth student newspaper reported the clash between New Hampshire police and protesters, resulting in the 1:30 AM, May 1 arrest of Hamas supporters, both students and non-students.
Police reportedly told protesters to go home and that “you’re up past your bedtime” before moving in to make arrests.
UVM: 100 students
About 100 students are protesting at UVM. They want UVM to divest investments in Israel. They also oppose the selection of U.S. Ambassador to Israel Linda Greenfield as the 2024 commencement speaker.
Over 100 UVM students formed a Palestine solidarity encampment Sunday, joining many other campuses to force divestment from weapons manufacturers and Israeli investments directly involved in the occupation of Palestine and the ongoing genocide in Gaza, according to The Rake Vermont, an online news source that describes itself as “pro-worker, anti-capitalist.…applying a broad socialist lens.”
The Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation, an umbrella organization led by two Marxist groups, rebuked UVM for the choice of commencement speakers: “Thomas-Greenfield is a war criminal; she has vetoed several UN resolutions calling for a ceasefire to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. She also vetoed another one recognizing a Palestinian state. We call on everyone to join the protest and demand that UVM disinvite her immediately. She has the blood of over 34,000 Palestinians on her hands.”
Vermont State University: lone student vigil
At the VSU-Lyndonville campus (formerly Lyndon State College), a student Kai Paroline is holding a vigil that includes carrying posters declaiming “From the River to the Sea,” the Caledonian-Record reported May 2.
Middlebury College: statement, then encampment
On April 26, the Middlebury student senate voted to sign a joint statement expressing solidarity with the protestors and condemning Columbia and Barnard’s administrations. Proponents of the measure argued that it was important to respond to abuses against student protestors and show firm support for free expression, Middlebury Campus columnist Shane Silverman wrote.
Silverman, a senate member, voted no, and explained why:
“They deceptively omit information about how the demonstration violated Columbia University’s community norms and was infiltrated by extremists who called for violence against pro-Israeli students. By infringing on other students’ ability to learn and harboring incidents of harassment, the protest fell outside the realm of protected speech.”
Middlebury Campus Managing Editor Katie Futterman reports that “at 7:15 a.m. on Sunday, April 28, a group of about 40 students set up tents on McCullough lawn to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The students at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment — which continues to grow as more students bring their own tents — are prepared to remain on the lawn until their needs are met, or until graduation, which is a month away.”
Marxist umbrella group to meet in Barre church
The Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation, a coalition including several explicitly socialist organizations, will seek to gain support at a meeting at the Unitarian-Universalist Church in Barre May 4, a social media statement said.
The two first member organizations listed on the VCPL website are the Central Vermont Democratic Socialists of America and the Champlain Valley Democratic Socialists of America.
VCPL “will discuss plans for solidarity with the student uprising for BDS, upcoming protests around commencements and Rafah, and our ongoing campaign for organizations, faith groups,” the statement said.