Young Filipinos call for a boycott of Israel as they join the global student movement for Palestine
MANILA: Student organizers on campuses in the Philippines are calling for a cultural and academic boycott of Israel and Zionists, as they join a global movement to support the Palestinians.
Pro-Palestinian student leaders and activists from various Philippine universities have been mobilizing their peers for months to raise awareness of Israel's war on Gaza and hold rallies in solidarity with Palestine.
Young Filipinos are drawing attention to parallels with Palestine's liberation struggle and Philippine history and experiences of occupation and colonialism, as they hope to inspire more collective action in their communities.
“Filipino youth and students are aware that (Palestinians') struggle against settler colonialism is similar to colonial history in the Philippines, and we see a common struggle with Palestinians, which is US imperialism,” student organizer Rafael Jorvi. Gavino told Arab News.
The Philippines faced more than 300 years of Spanish colonial rule from 1565 to 1898, and almost five decades of American colonization from 1898 to 1946. Despite independence, activists say the Philippines is still a “quasi-colony” of the US. Citing the Southeast Asian country's economic and military dependence on the US.
Gavino, who attends the state-run Polytechnic University of the Philippines, is one of the PUP's coordinators for the Palestine Initiative. His school is known for its student activism and is the largest college in the country in terms of population.
“Thousands of PUP students participated virtually and supported the Palestinians in their struggle against Israel's genocide and apartheid and called for justice,” he said.
“Showing solidarity and support for the Palestinians is important as students and especially as Filipinos because we cannot stand idly by while thousands of fellow students, children and women are killed before our eyes.”
Israel's ground and air strikes in the past nine months have killed 39,000 Palestinian civilians in Gaza, according to official estimates, although a study published this month in the journal Lancet estimated the actual death toll could be as high as 186,000 victims.
Israeli forces have also destroyed schools, universities and hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
“No educational institution in the country should be in close contact with a state that ignores the future of children by bombing schools and universities,” Gavino added.
For students of Ateneo de Manila University, one of the country's top colleges, showing support for Palestine is important.
“It is important for us, especially as students, to join the global call for liberation and stop the genocide immediately in search of a just and lasting peace because this is the world we will inherit,” A4P told Arab News in a statement.
The group said it was inspired by the courage and determination of foreign students, who have held camps at their respective universities and called for the ouster of “agents of genocide”.
“If there are such connections, we aim to show the links to our own university, and call for its immediate end,” A4P said.
“We want to call for a cultural and academic boycott by our universities of Israel and Zionist sources and instead support and support Palestinian educational and cultural institutions, and advocate for a just and lasting peace through clear support for the cause of national liberation.”
The Ateneo Group, which has more than 5,000,000 followers on Facebook, condemned the Philippine government for funneling “billions of pesos in arms deals” to Israeli companies including Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Shipyards. .
“These weapons of destruction are used in the Philippines to perpetrate extreme acts of violence against indigenous communities and state repression against its own citizens,” A4P said.
At Far Eastern University in Manila, student leaders founded the Tamaraws for Palestine Initiative in June, which has so far held rallies, fundraisers and educational sessions and discussions on campus.
“As Filipinos, terrorism in Palestine is not new to us because we have also experienced colonization and threats from many nations like Spain, America and Japan. Even now, because of China's aggressive actions in the (South China Sea),” said Calla Mae Alzado, Vice President of Palestine. Tamarauz told Arab News.
“We are still oppressed by other nations and facing threats at home. Palestine is in this situation now and as a nation that understands this situation and is in the current situation, we must stand in solidarity with them.
One of their main focuses is to raise awareness for the larger Filipino society about the ongoing violence in Gaza.
“What we hope to achieve with our organization is to expand and gain more collective action, which can amplify the voices of the oppressed,” Alzado said.
“Most importantly, we hope that our calls for the rights of Palestinians will help support their liberation.”
