In New York they plan to “flood the streets” on the anniversary of October 7

On university campuses across the United States, tensions are at their peak in the run-up to October 7th, when in front of the commemoration ceremonies planned by Jewish and Israeli organizations, counter-activity is expected from pro-Palestinian organizations, some of which have already declared this day a day of remembrance for the “Year of Genocide Israeli”.

A number of pro-Palestinian parties are planning to carry out large and especially aggressive protests against Israel on this day. For example, the organization Within our Lifetime is organizing a protest called Flood New York on October 7th, in which it calls – mainly students but also all New Yorkers – to flood the streets “for the people who oppose the genocide by all necessary means since 1948”. The wording “by all necessary means” was also used by elements who declared support for the October 7 attack right after it happened. The organization will hold a webinar today (Sunday) “Ahead of the events of October 7 – how to prepare for arrest following a protest”, meaning it does not seem to be planning a silent protest.

On some campuses, the university administrations are preparing for the expected direct confrontation tomorrow (Sunday) between the protestors and the Jews and Israelis holding the memorial ceremonies. At Columbia University, which was a leading focus of anti-Israel protest activity last year, the university announced last night that it will close several buildings on campus, including the international affairs building, “out of an abundance of caution given the current atmosphere and the information we recently received.” This decision comes after yesterday the university announced a restriction on the entry of guests to the campus on October 7, due to “the scope of activity we expect” on that date.

The university’s announcement prior to the events was very technical, without reference to the content of the protests or any significance of the date. The university stated that it is interested in “enabling protest and counter-protest in a way that preserves safety and helps participants avoid violating university rules”, therefore emphasis will be placed on separating the parties and holding the events as far away from each other as possible.

Pro-Palestinian protests

In recent weeks, with the return of students to campuses, many pro-Palestinian protests have been held across the US. Some of the protests emphasize the suffering of the Palestinians and the desire for an end to the war, but some are characterized by anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic chants, support for the terrorist organizations and support for the terrorist acts themselves. Not surprisingly , it seems that the events expected to be held precisely on October 7, attract more of the second type of protestors.

The Jewish and Israeli organizations tried, with limited success, to prevent some of these events. For example, at the University of Maryland, Jewish organizations initially succeeded in preventing the local branch of Students for Justice for Palestine from reserving one of the main conference halls for a protest event on October 7, “in memory of the victims of the colonial settlement of the Zionist entity, after 76 years of ethnic cleansing and genocide.”

The university has decided that all events on this day will be those that have passed its approval in advance. But the pro-Palestinian organization petitioned the court, and this forced the university to allow the event to take place. The university is now preparing to secure the event together with the police, for fear of it degenerating into violence.

In a number of other universities, a bureaucratic struggle is now taking place over the armoring of the complexes and the licenses for events, between the Jews and the Israelis and the anti-Israel demonstrators.

The Jewish and Israeli organizations are planning a full and clear presence on the campuses on October 7, but are also preparing to face violence. The organization Documenting Jew Hatred on Campus at Columbia, for example, sent a message to students: “We encourage the community to participate in the October 7 memorial events, but we encourage you all to bring your phones and be safe first.”