Saba Indawala
Saba Indawala
Tampa SDS protest
On October 26, 2024, 25 students and community members held a rally near campus to defend free speech on campus. The rally was held in response to the University of South Florida (USF)'s escalated political repression of the student movement, where administration has expelled Victoria Hinckley, suspended Saba Indawala, and deported Joseph Charry, all organizers with Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, for their solidarity with Palestine.
Students and community members gathered to demand that USF drop the conduct charges on Saba Indawala, defend the right to protest the genocide in Gaza, and stop policy 6-028, a recently amended policy that heavily represses students’ rights to free speech on USF’s campuses.
USF administration, continuing with its repression of the student movement, recently placed conduct charges on SDS members and student protesters Vicky Tong, Kinsey Dyal and Daniel Mendez for organizing a SDS protest for free speech on October 1. More than three weeks after the protest, the USF administration has placed bogus charges such as “failure to comply” and violation of “university policy.”
Student organizations spoke in solidarity with the local student movement, with a speaker from the Pan-African Party stating, “As a student organization ourselves, it’s important we use our voice, our power, our organization for the benefit of the people.” Other student organizations voiced their support for the student movement, stating that it was shameful that USF continues to stifle and prevent student voices from being heard.
Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society was joined by Bulls Dabke, Pan-African Party, and Triota Women's and Gender Studies Honor Society. Community organizations present included Tampa Democratic Society of America, Sunrise Tampa, New Era Young Lords, Food Not Bombs, and Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.[1]
Punishment
On Tuesday, October 1, 2024 around six students who are members of Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society at the University of South Florida, took a stand. They attempted to have a rally demanding free speech on campus for pro-Palestine protests.
Two students at the attempted rally, Isabella Deschene and Saba Indawala, have now been suspended, trespassed, and have bogus code of conduct charges alleged against them.
This comes after intensified political repression faced by Tampa Bay SDS after leading the solidarity encampment for Gaza at USF. After being tear-gassed and shot at with rubber bullets by the university and police, Tampa Bay SDS was expelled by USF for leading this struggle for Palestine on their campus. Additionally, two members of SDS faced severe punishment from USF for organizing the encampment for Palestine. Victoria Hinckley, who was a senior at the school, was expelled and the school continues to withhold their degree. Joseph Charry, an international student from Colombia, was suspended for a year and was stripped of his student visa and forced to leave the country.
Now, five months after the encampment, Tampa Bay SDS continues to fight for these sanctions against students to be reversed, for USF’s immediate divestment from Israel and now for freedom of speech on campus. The university has passed harsh, restrictive policies on free speech. The student movement remains strong and students on campus have and will continue to fight against this political repression from the USF administration.
Isabella Deschene, one of the newly-suspended SDS members, says “this was yet another blatant act of repression and will not stop students from continuing to fight for what we believe in. We will continue advocating for free speech and protesting the genocide in Gaza. We will continue to call out USF’s complicity and their disregard for the student body’s demands to disclose and divest.”[2]
Defending SDS
On July 10 2024, around 50 students and community members rallied and marched in support of students targeted by the University of South Florida (USF) for participating in a Gaza Solidarity encampment in April. Two students, Joseph Charry and Victoria Hinckley, were suspended and expelled respectively by the university, and now a third, Icarus Jaspard, was hit with code of conduct charges.
Hinckley, a member of Tampa Bay SDS, along with the other two students, was expelled only one assignment away from graduation. Charry was suspended for a year while being on an international student visa, endangering his status in the U.S. with deportation. The third student, Jaspard, was hit with code of conduct charges nine weeks after the Gaza Solidarity encampment, in a clear effort by USF to stop the ongoing student movement for divestment in apartheid Israel.
The event was hosted by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, whose members spoke on the demand for USF to disclose and divest from companies complicit in the genocide in Gaza, on the continued attacks on the student movement, and on each of the students’ conduct charges. Other community organizations such as the Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression were also present and gave a speech on the U.S. government and Israel’s intention of starting a war with the people of Lebanon.
“Through protesting and resistance, we will see the charges on the USF 13 and the students dropped,” said Tampa Bay SDS member Saba Indawala, referencing the 13 people arrested during the Gaza Solidarity. Indawala continued, “The student intifada continues to grow stronger and stronger and we will get USF to stop its attacks on the student movement.” Community members cheered in support of the students.
Afterwards, the protesters marched to chants of “Protesting is not a crime, free free Palestine!” and “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest!” At the end, members of Tampa Bay SDS shared a petition created in support of the charged students, and a national call-in flier organized by National Students for a Democratic Society to oppose USF’s attack on Icarus Jaspard.[3]
No U.S. attacks on Iran
According to Victoria Hinckley April 22, 2024, Over 20 students at the University of South Florida marched April 18 to demand no U.S. attacks on Iran and an end to U.S. aid to Israel.
Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society organized this protest and march as part of a National Day of Action called by National SDS in response to the April 1 Israeli bombing of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Damascus, Syria. Students marched from the library to the student center to show their support for Palestine and for the solidarity that Iran has shown towards Palestine.
Students chanted “Hands off Iran” and “From Iran to Falasteen, end the U.S. war machine!”
Tampa Bay SDS member Amayrani Nieto stated, “Israel cannot continue to hit and hide behind the U.S.”
Additionally, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society has continually demanded that USF divest from companies supporting the ongoing genocide in Palestine. USF invests in companies like Caterpillar and Hewlett Packard which aid in Israel’s ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people from their homelands. The USF administration has also been outspoken in their support for Zionism by vocally supporting Israel and refusing to support Palestinian students.
Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society member Saba Indawala says, “This is only the beginning of fighting for Palestine and we plan on being part of the struggle until Palestine is liberated.”[4]