This past October 7th marked the two-year anniversary of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in Palestine. This was a blow against American imperialism and zionist occupation in Palestine. Since October 7th of 2023, we have seen the public grow conscious of America’s in the Palestinian genocide. This year, a rally took place on the UC Davis campus to commemorate two years of escalated resistance against the zionist entity. The “Revolutionary Student Organization” (RSO) hosted this action to agitate the student masses and to celebrate the Palestinian resistance.
On the morning of October 7th, I arrived to campus before class and was able to see pieces of the protest. The current increased fascization of the state has led to escalated repression, which was clearly demonstrated at this rally. About 20-30 police officers were stationed at the Memorial Union along with administration officials from the university. The university also brought a mobile CCTV machine which surveils cellular data and records video of its surroundings.
The protest started with an acknowledgment of the policing against supporting the anti-imperialist struggle. One of the chants echoed, “There is only one solution, Intifada revolution!” as the students marched past the Memorial Union and towards the Student Community Center. I witnessed the administration follow the protesters and threatened to call the police if they kept using the megaphone. They claimed that this was a “violation” of policy that did not allow amplified sound. I heard from other protesters that the administration threatened to call the police to forcibly unmask and identify students against zionist occupation. In the past, but more clearly now, we see the repression towards supporting Palestine, the anti-imperialist struggle, and socialism. The protesters held banners that read: “Workers of the World Unite!”, “Long Live Al-Aqsa Flood,” and “Intifada Revolution”. The protest demonstrated the frustration with the genocide in Palestine and the very source of the issue, imperialism. While the feelings of disillusionment and hopelessness are easy to fall into, it is important to remember that Palestinians themselves are actively fighting against the israeli occupation. The Palestinian people have maintained steadfast and resilient in the longstanding struggle for national liberation.
Protesters explicitly outlined “the task of the workers and free peoples of the world [is] to topple the mountain of imperialism and destroy zionism right at its source.” As students in the United States, we are in the belly of the beast and israel is merely an extension of US imperialism. The Revolutionary Student Organization openly links the working class struggle with the struggle for Palestinian liberation. Workers all over the world are exploited by the ruling class (bourgeoisie) for their labor while they profit actively from such labor and imperialist projects. The same people making money from dropping bombs on children are the same people who continue to target activists for speaking up against genocide and the evils of imperialism. Palestine has allowed the world to wake up from the clutch of imperialist and colonial propaganda. The common enemy of Palestinians, oppressed masses, and workers is US imperialism and capitalism. US imperialism manifests its exploitation of peoples and land globally for the sake of bourgeois greed. During the protest, RSO called for a socialist revolution as a means to end this exploitation.
Socialism is a dictatorship of the proletariat, as opposed to capitalism, a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. Students must not lose hope, rather we should unite with the working class and aid the struggle of freedom for oppressed peoples of the world. RSO emphasized that students play an important role in the revolution and must develop into proletarian revolutionaries. The past few years of student organizing on campus have showed us that the masses hold a great level of political consciousnesses. This commemoration of armed struggle was quite praised by students despite repression from university officials. Many students were seen wearing kuffiyehs and holding up signs that said “OCT 7th” with an outline of the Palestinian land. At the end of the protest, RSO called to unite and integrate with the working masses in order to create real change, a socialist revolution. Historically, students have resisted imperialism, whether it was the Vietnam War, South African Apartheid, or Palestine occupation. After seeing the university’s reaction against student activists, this raises the question: what is the role of student organizing in the coming future?