Stanford students, staff on hunger strike

Otago Daily Times

14-05-2025

Stanford University students and faculty launched a hunger strike this week, joining a broader statewide movement calling for universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel in protest of the ongoing war in Gaza.
At least 12 students and three faculty members are participating in the hunger strike, which also calls for local authorities to drop criminal charges against student protesters.
They are also calling for the university to repeal recent free speech restrictions and for Stanford president Jonathan Levin to sign a national academic freedom statement.
The protest began with a peaceful assembly at White Plaza, the campus' designated free-speech zone.
"We've continuously called for divestment and the university has not responded," strike participant Yousef Helal said.
"We continue to witness the genocide in Gaza, and it's our duty to stand up."
Stanford has faced criticism from multiple sides over its handling of past protests.
A university subcommittee found anti-Israel and anti-Semitic bias on campus, while another concluded that Islamophobia and prejudice against Muslim, Arab and Palestinian students were also prevalent.
According to Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine, students have experienced continued repression for their activism, including what they describe as selectively enforced overnight camping bans and ID or face-covering checks during campus events.
Stanford senior Arwa Faruk, a human biology major, said the university's response stemmed from fear.
"I think the administration only wields that power when they feel threatened," she said.
"It means our actions are having an effect."
The hunger strike is open-ended and despite potential consequences, Helal said he intended to continue.
"I'm not afraid ... Right now, my whole life is Gaza.
"One of the core tenets of Islam is standing up against oppression — and that's what I'm doing."
• Harvard University expanded its lawsuit yesterday against the Trump administration for freezing billions of dollars in federal funds, ratcheting up the high-stakes legal battle between the wealthiest United States university and the White House.
University lawyers revised their lawsuit on the same day the federal Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism said the government ceased $US450 million ($NZ757m) in grants to Harvard.
The US earlier froze more than $US2.2 billion ($NZ3.7b) in funding, citing the university's handling of alleged discrimination on campus.
In its new complaint, Harvard cited several actions taken by the administration since the university's initial lawsuit on April 21.
It claims federal agencies illegally halted the flow of funds because the university refused to submit to government control over its academic programmes.
As with their earlier complaint, Harvard's lawyers asked a federal judge in Boston to bar the government from enacting the funding freeze and declare that the government violated Harvard's First Amendment right to free speech. — TCA