WWU ‘Israel Apartheid Week’ speaker calls Zionism ‘white supremacy,’ urges ‘decolonization’
The pro-Palestine event hosted at Western Washington University saw a speaker describe Zionism as white supremacy and advocated for 'decolonizing' himself through anti-Israel activism.
Another panelist also claimed that Zionists are responsible for making Jewish students feel unsafe and called for divestment from companies tied to Israel.
At a pro-Palestine event at Western Washington University (WWU), an activist spoke who described his “struggle against Zionism” and “trajectory to decolonize myself,” among other anti-Israel arguments.
The individual made the comments while on a panel for “Israeli Apartheid Week” at the school, according to KTTH. The activist-led week lasted from May 12-16 in Bellingham.
“I live in Bellingham, Washington, and I like to tell people that I’m a privileged white male Homo sapien on a trajectory to decolonize myself, and that’s exactly how I approach this struggle,” the speaker began. “I believe in an intersectional approach to struggle against Zionism, which I see as a form of white supremacy and Western imperialism.”
“My journey for decolonization has been a very long one and is ongoing,” the speaker added. “I tend to not focus on these identities, because these are exactly the identities that are weaponized by Zionism and are used in order to distract and divert attention from the ongoing expansionism.”
According to WWU’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Israeli Apartheid Week is “an annual week-long event of educational and engaging events surrounding Palestinian history, collective resistance, and building solidarity.”
Another panelist reportedly asserted during the event that pro-Israel figures are the reason Jewish students may feel at risk on college campuses.
“And really, what they’re asking is are Zionists safe on Jewish campuses. There is no concern as to whether anti-Zionist Jews are feeling unsafe on college campuses, largely because of the work of Zionists,” the speaker stated.
WWU’s SJP chapter has consistently advertised pro-Palestine events online, including by posting about an event on May 30.
The SJP group has also advocated divestment from companies that have connections to Israel. “In the face of Israel’s horrifying recent escalations in Gaza, divestment and cutting ties with Israel and all war profitteers [sic], financially, politically and culturally is more important than ever,” the student organization posted to Instagram in April.
Last year, WWU’s Divest Apartheid student group urged students to boycott a concert at the school in support of Palestinians fighting against Israel.
In March, Campus Reform reported that WWU’s LGBT department offers “gender affirming care,” including voice therapy and hormone treatments.
Campus Reform has contacted Western Washington University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
