On Sept. 26, a protest titled “Hands Off Lebanon” took place at UTSA, organized by the Young Democratic Socialists of America. The event was held in the Sombrilla, in an attempt to draw attention to Lebanon and Palestine.
The protest featured speeches from various speakers who emphasized the urgency of divesting from companies profiting from conflict in the region. One speaker expressed their frustration, stating, “I am sick to my stomach every day watching the horrific manifestation of white supremacy that is Zionism and the fake state of Israel.” This sentiment was echoed throughout the event, with calls of action aimed at targeting corporations complicit in the violence.
“I’m sick of asking of politicians to agree to stand up against genocide. These politicians do not move with morality. America does not move with what is right or wrong. America owes nothing but money, nothing but greed,” the same speaker stated.
The next speaker took a different approach to convey his message by using familiar analogies.
“How would you explain to your child that his sister won’t make it back home for dinner that night? That she, like 40,000 others, won’t make it back home ever again,” the speaker asked. “How do you explain to your child that her father has not yet been found beneath the rubble? When she asks you when she can see him again, do you pretend that your suffering does not exist? Would you lie to her and try to give her hope? How would you explain? How could you explain? You cannot explain how so many homes and livelihoods are destroyed.”
“These senseless deaths, this genocide, cannot be explained,” the speaker finished.
Collectively, protestors chanted, “It is right to rebel, you can go to hell,” in hopes of reinforcing their demand for accountability from the U.S. government and associated corporations involved in military operations.
Speakers called for collective action among students, urging them to join divestment campaigns and organize against corporations linked to military actions in the Middle East. “We cannot let this despair us,” one protester asserted, advocating for resilience in the face of adversity.
The event also featured testimonies from individuals directly affected by the conflict. A Palestinian student from Gaza shared their personal experiences, detailing how the ongoing violence has disrupted their education and community.
“Imagine your family, your friends, your community, every single person to your left and to your right is so thoroughly obliterated that no one is able to know whether or not you are dead for sure,” they stated. “This has been the case for a little bit over half a year, and the recent estimates placed the current death toll at 200,000 on top of the 2 million Palestinians already displaced and back into increasingly tightened chunks of land week after week, and now Israel has expanded that campaign. In the past week alone, they’ve begun bombing Lebanon.”
As the protest came to a close, organizers encouraged attendees to remain engaged and proactive in their concluding speeches.
“We must learn how to fight. We must learn to stand against them, and we must win. It is our job. It is our responsibility. You need to get involved.”
