The City University of New York has emerged as a focal point for the Gaza solidarity movement. One tangible expression of this is the set of Five Demands put forth by the organizers of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at the City College of New York in April 2023. As active members of PSC-CUNY, a trade union representing 30,000 individuals, we pen this letter in full support of the Five Demands.
Our aim is to address criticisms from our union’s elected leadership that have been directed at us as rank-and-file members organizing in solidarity with Palestine. These criticisms have been cited by our leadership as reasons for their refusal to endorse our efforts and the efforts of our students thus far. We invite all rank-and-file members who share our sentiments to join us in organizing.
Firstly, one of the primary objections to the Five Demands revolves around the use of what some in our leadership deem to be “inflammatory” or “polarizing language,” which they argue inappropriately provokes “anger.” In the face of an internationally-recognized genocide, we assert that the students’ choice of language is not only appropriate, but also incredibly well articulated, and that imposing exacting standards about what “tone” should be used to condemn war crimes, and making support for their movement in part contingent on that, is in poor spirit and counterproductive. What the movement for Palestine has and what many academics lack right now, is a burning sense of urgen.