The Students for a Democratic Society, a University of South Florida club held a protest on Saturday. About 40 protestors, including USF students and faculty shouted chants and held signs along Fowler Avenue. Demonstrators want to see USF divest from companies that support Israel and support student suspended and expelled students.
Victoria Hinckley is a member of the Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society. She was recently expelled from USF for her involvement in the April protests on the Tampa campus, acting as a leader and organizer. She spoke on Saturday about her continued support of Palestine, “They don’t want to see us fighting for Palestine and standing with the Palestinian resistance and their fight for national liberation. They are repressing us politically for speaking against their divestment in Israeli apartheid.”
Joseph Charry is an international student, who may face issues relating to his student visa. He was suspended from USF until 2025.
“We are pressuring USF so that they actually take a stand against the injustices that are happening in Palestine.”
The protest was part of a series of demonstrations across Tampa calling on university leadership to officially voice support of Palestinians.
