Rory MacDonald
Shreyas Vasudevan
Gaza encampment rally
On Friday, September 20, 2024 Tulane University encampment arrestees held a rally at 8 a.m., outside of the Orleans Criminal District Court, just before a monumental win for the city’s movement. There were over 40 people in attendance for both the rally and their full-day trial. They packed the courts in support of the arrestees for the Popular University for Gaza encampment that took place on Tulane’s front lawn from April 29 to May 1.
The crowd chanted, “Not guilty, not sorry!” and “When student rights are under attack what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” A Loyola faculty member, Pablo Zavala, shared his thoughts on the students’ bravery stating, “SDS members, the young people, and community members have shown me and have shown us what it means to be courageous. When the system was against them and the powers that be weaponized the rules and criminalized free speech, they kept going.”
“Every time they create a new policy to undermine and deter the movement, we just become more creative and more organized,” stated Juleea Berthelot, SDS member and encampment arrestee.
“We have ripped off the masks of the ‘progressive’ ghouls who are truly nothing but imperialist. Who are truly nothing but people who want to genocide anybody who stands up for liberation,” said NOSHIP member and encampment arrestee Shreyas Vasudevan. He accused District Attorney Jason Williams, who accepted the charges as Tulane pressured him to do so, of being of those “progressive ghouls.” Williams is a Tulane alumnus.
“It’s disappointing that the district attorney would take a case to trial when he and his office knew the evidence in the case exonerated the accused. But fortunately, the court quickly recognized that the prosecution had no case,” said defense attorney Graham Bosworth.
Rory MacDonald, a member of Tulane SDS and encampment arrestee, made a speech as a call-and-response, “My name is Rory MacDonald and I am proud to have stood trial as a defender of the Tulane and Loyola Popular University for Palestine. Because today we showed Tulane and their dog, Jason Williams, that if you want to put the people on trial, the people are gonna put you on trial.”
This was the first trial nationally for Popular University for Gaza arrestees. It will inspire people to keep fighting as we still have more political attacks to win.[1]
Defending Gaza protest arrestees
On Friday, May 31, 2024 dozens of community members rallied in front of the Criminal District Court in New Orleans to defend those arrested at the Tulane and Loyola Popular University for participation in the Gaza encampment.
Several organizations across the city attended this rally to flood the courts for the arraignment. People spoke of the unjust arrests that took place during a police raid at the Popular University for Gaza, established by Loyola and Tulane University students.
“More and more people are waking up to the reality we live in, that is, no one is going to save us. This monopoly capitalist hell that we live in is not sustainable. A better way is possible,” said Juleea Berthelot, a student at Loyola University and president of Loyola Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). “The camp was a very material part of this ongoing struggle. It was beautiful and chaotic, and scary, and wonderful. And while it no longer exists in a material way, what remains is a movement that is stronger than ever,” Berthelot added.
Speakers and members identified the necessity of escalation and the importance of the Palestinian armed resistance for the liberation of Palestine. They addressed the fact that, in recent weeks, multiple states and countries have finally recognized the statehood of Palestine.
“The resistance has changed the course of our future. Palestine will not be free without armed resistance and without our support in the United States of the armed resistance,” said Shreyas Vasudevan, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).
At the end of the rally, Rory MacDonald of Tulane SDS announced that the courts informed arrestees – one hour before the scheduled appearance – that their court date had been moved to July 30 and that they did not need to attend. District Attorney Jason Williams pushed back the court date to the final day possible to accept the charges. “Why did Jason Williams do this? Because he has no case,” said MacDonald.[2]