Student organization reinstated after suspension, sparks pro-Palestine protest

Nicole Nowicki, Arianna Smith
Sat, 03 Feb 2024 16:34:35 +0000
Campus, Instagram Page, News, campus, Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists, chants, CORS, gaza, Israel, Israel-Hamas war, ohio state, ohio union, organizers, Palestine, president carter, pro-Palestine protest, protest, protesting, student voices, students, the ohio state university, the union, University Square South office, war

Pro-Palestine protestors gather in front of university President Ted Carter Jr.’s University Square South office, located on the corner of 15th Avenue and North High Street, following the reinstatement of Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists Wednesday, a student organization that was suspended Dec. 13, 2023. Credit: Nicole Nowicki | Asst. Campus Editor

Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists, a student organization that was suspended Dec. 13, 2023, was reinstated by Ohio State Wednesday after several meetings between the two parties.

The suspension of the group along with Ohio State’s investments in companies doing business in Israel prompted a protest at the Ohio Union Friday, asking administration to end the repression of pro-Palestinian speech on campus and issue a further statement about the state of the war in Gaza.

Around 25 students gave speeches and chanted in and outside of the building before walking to university President Ted Carter Jr.’s University Square South office, protesting in front of the building and on the corner of 15th Avenue and North High Street while holding a sign that read, “Free the Voice, Free the Mind, Students for a Free Palestine!”

Coco Smyth, a representative from CORS accused the university of suspending the organization due to its pro-Palestine programming and demanded the university retract former statements made against the group, including that the organization posed a “significant harm” to its members and the university community due to the use of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine logo on their flyers and the failure to respond to university guidelines.?

“The university’s philosophy on institutional statements guides institutional and leadership statements. You can read more here: https://omc.osu.edu/key-issues,” Ohio State spokesperson Ben Johnson said in an email. “This philosophy does not impact any individual’s ability to make statements or represent their own, individual views.”?

Smyth alleged that the university was overly broad in their reasoning behind why they suspended CORS when directly communicating with the student organization, despite telling The Lantern that it was due to the use of the PFLP logo on flyers, a designated terrorist organization by the United States and the U.N.?

“Our student members ended up meeting with the OSU administration two separate times over the past month, and they quickly, quickly dropped the idea that we were terrorists or terrorist sympathizers backed and funded by terrorists because of how inane it was because I think they realized quickly that we weren’t going to back down and accept being slandered and being suspended like that,” Smyth said.?

Smyth said the organization had received nearly 1,000 signatures on a petition demanding the organization be reinstated on campus, and that the university protect the free-speech rights of pro-Palestinian organizers.?

“I think they were very surprised that we got so much support as a small organization,” Smyth said.?

Smyth said he believes the community support behind CORS is largely the reason for the club being reinstated, and urged members of the pro-Palestine movement to stand united.?

“This is why defense campaigns are so important. You might not be a member of Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists. You might not ever want to be a member. You might have significant disagreements with us, but everyone in the movement needs to stand together,” Smyth said. “Because if they attack one element of the pro-Palestine movement, they’re gonna come for you next.”?

Across the country, pro-Palestine groups have been suspended on college campuses, such as Columbia University and Brandeis University, according to AP News. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis initially attempted to ban all chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine at state universities before the groups sued, according to AP News.?

A flyer passed out during the protest also alleged that “Department heads are banned from releasing statements with a pro-Palestinian stance.”?

Jay Qutiefan, a third-year in psychology, said she has felt helpless and powerless.?

“And if there’s one thing that I do have, it is freedom of speech and the ability for me to speak up and speak out, not only for my people, but for anyone,” Qutiefan said.

Qutiefan said she chose to protest in opposition to the university’s investments in Israel, hoping it will encourage them to divest and set an example for other institutions within the nation and community.

“I would love that from OSU because I love OSU,” Qutiefan said.

She said she hopes the university will encourage free speech equally across all students.?

“I appreciate that they have the policy for free speech, but I would hope that they abide by it and follow it equally,” Qutiefan said. “And I hope that they don’t persecute other students, based on their freedom of speech for freedom of thought and freedom of expression, because it would be un-American.”

JJ Lesperance, a third-year law student, said he was protesting in light of the ongoing war in Gaza and to exercise his right to free speech, a right he feels the university is actively depriving Palestinian students of.

“So we’re here to, yeah, support the student groups that are engaging in that speech and are being harassed essentially by the administration for that,” Lesperance said.

Lesperance said despite the South African genocide case against Israel being deemed plausible by the International Court of Justice and the ongoing harassment of Palestinian students on campus, Ohio State has been silent.?

“They won’t engage in conversations with us really. It’s all, it’s all frustrating,” Lesperance said. “Makes me question why I’ve been here for seven years sometimes, but there’s also a sense of community that are amongst people who are pushing back against the university and that is what really gives a sliver of hope with all the frustration and disappointment around the university.”

The ultimate goal is to get Ohio State to divest from Israel, Lesperance said.

“If that was any other country OSU would make a statement or cut ties with that. If that was an Arab country doing that to a population of white people, OSU would have no problem cutting ties with them or divesting from them,” Lesperance said. “So that’s our ultimate goal.”?