Shelby Shoup

Overview

Shelby Shoup [Shelby Anne Shoup] was arrested and charged with battery in 2018. Shoup has also defended terrorists, supported violent protesters and demonized Zionism. She has trivialized anti-Semitism and spread hatred of Israel and [00:24:33] America.

Shoup was President of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Florida State University (FSU) (FSU SJP) from 2019 through 2020. In July 2019, she was [01:30:15] FSU SJP’s social media manager.

Shoup also promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and supported FSU SJP member Ahmad Daraldik while he was embroiled in an anti-Semitism controversy.

Shoup attended the 2019 National SJP Conference.

National SJP held their conference at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (UMN), from November 1-3, 2019. The conference was themed: “Beyond Struggle: From Roots to Branches Towards Liberation.”

Shoup was affiliated [01:04:13] with anti-Israel Dream Defenders from 2019 to 2020 and wrote on Facebook that in 2019 she “helped revive the Tallahassee SquaDD of the Dream Defenders.”

Dream Defenders (DD) has led several delegations to Israel where they met exclusively with anti-Israel groups and individuals, including militants from the terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian (PFLP).

DD has supported BDS since 2014 and has accused Israel of “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” against Palestinians.

On May 2, 2020, Shoup graduated from FSU with a bachelor’s degree in Social Science Education.

On August 6, 2020, Shoup said [00:13:09] she was a “graduate student” pursuing her masters degree in “Social Science Education” at FSU. She was reportedly due to graduate in May 2021.

On April 27, 2021, Shoup featured in a series of Facebook photos wearing a graduation cap.

As of August 2021, Shoup used the name “Shelby Lavern” on Facebook.

On May 5, 2021, Shoup indicated on Facebook that she planned to move to Queens, New York.

Arrested and Charged with Battery

On November 1, 2018, Shoup was arrested and charged with battery after she twice poured [00:00:07] chocolate milk over a fellow student, Kathryn Judge, who was a volunteer, tabling with the College Republicans on Landis Green, at FSU.

Shoup accused [00:01:13] the Republicans of “normalizing and enabling Nazis” and as she left, kicked [00:01:34] a “Ron DeSantis for Governor” sign out of the grass.

At the time she attacked her fellow students, Shoup was reportedly a volunteer with the campaign of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, who was then running against sitting Florida governor, Ron DeSantis.

Shoup consistently justified the assault, claiming it was in reaction to the October 27, 2018 shooting attack by a white supremacist who murdered eleven people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

On July 21, 2019, Shoup spoke on a podcast titled “The Minyan,” which promoted Shoup by saying that she “gives us the inside scoop on throwing dairy products at reactionaries..."

In the interview, the first question addressed to Shoup was: [00:02:23] “Did you start the milk-shaking trend?” Shoup responded: [00:02:34] “...You may have heard about a 19-year-old girl at The Florida State University, who threw chocolate milk on a College Republican, last fall. Hell, yeah... The concept of, you know, throwing dairy on fascists and reactionaries, I do have a little, a little stake in that.”

Shoup went on to say [00:03:34]: “I don’t know if I’m a hero... Enough time has passed that I can definitely make some goofs and giggles about it… I feel like my first arrest being over throwing my drink on someone's pretty lame… No offense to her. But she was just like, a College Republican Nobody. Like it's not like she was like a fascist of actual import or significance.”

Defending Terrorists

On November 14, 2019, Shoup wrote in a Facebook post: “by the IDF’s [Israel Defense Forces] own admission, israel instigated the latest wave of violence with the ILLEGAL extrajudicial execution of bahaa abu al-atta.”

In November 2019, Israel launched Operation Black Belt to stop Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel. The attacks were carried out in response to Israel’s elimination of Baha Abu al-Ata [Bahaa Abu Al-Atta], a senior commander of terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) who was reportedly planning new terror attacks.

Shoup’s Facebook post also said: “there is a CLEAR aggressor and it is not palestinians... crude palestinian-made rockets have killed less people in two decades than israeli airstrikes have killed in the last three days. and most importantly, under international law occupied peoples have the RIGHT to armed resistance.”

Shoup claimed in the same post, referring to the Gaza “March of Return” riots: “every friday since march 2018, israeli snipers have been shooting and killing unarmed protesters.”

On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests” or the “March of Return.” The violent demonstrations were instigated by Hamas on the Israeli-Gaza border. Participants declared their intention to harm Jews across the border under the pretext of “peaceful resistance.”

March participants sent scores of kites bearing explosive devices across Israel’s border to burn Israeli crops and homes. Rioters also made numerous attempts to breach Israel’s border fence, which caused the Israeli Defense Forces to respond with live fire.

Agitators also threw Molotov cocktails, firebombs, shot firearms and threw rocks under the cover of smoke from burning tires.

The violent riots during the “March of Return” continued into 2019 and included armed protesters using gunfire, penetrating Israeli territory, launching incendiary kites into Israel and throwing IEDs, hand grenades and Molotov cocktails. Some of the attacks were carried out by Hamas operatives.

Shoup concluded her post: “from the river to the sea, palestine WILL be free.”

“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” is a chant calling to dismantle the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state.

On November 15, 2019, Shoup was the contact on an FSU SJP statement promoting a November 17, 2019 FSU SJP protest against Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. The statement condemned Israel’s “extra-judicial execution of Bahaa Abu al-Ata” and accused Israel of an “ongoing genocidal occupation and apartheid regime.”

The Facebook event page for the protest also lauded Abu Al-Ata as a “resistance fighter.” Abu Al-Ata was deemed responsible for the majority of attacks against Israelis emanating from Gaza in 2019.

Shoup gave a speech at the protest and said [00:02:05]: “I cannot imagine how dehumanizing it is to hear American journalists and politicians discussing Israel’s ‘right to self-defense,’ insinuating that Palestinians are terrorists.”

Shoup featured in a photo on Facebook from the event, posing with a protester and a fellow SJP activist, who was holding a sign that said: “ISRAEL IS KILLING CHILDREN AGAIN. ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!”

On July 21, 2019, speaking on a podcast titled “The Minyan,” Shoup said [00:52:41] she had “a sympathy and respect for some Marxist Leninist movements, including but obviously not limited to, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.”

The PFLP has been designated a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) by the United States, Canada, Israel, the European Union, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Australia.

On March 29, 2019, Shoup posted on the Facebook page for an FSU SJP event supporting the March of Return: “It is important to remember the martyrs, because their flame lives on in our determination to win a #FreePalestine by any means necessary!”

Shoup continued: “Thinking about Yaser Murtaja, a renowned Palestinian journalist, who was shot by an Israeli sniper while he was covering the Great Return March. He was shot wearing his clearly marked “PRESS” vest. He was killed on April 6, 2018.
Z”L.”

Yasser Murtaja, a photojournalist, was reportedly a Hamas spy who used drones to film Israeli military positions. Murtaja was shot and killed on April 6, 2018, as he filmed the 2018 Hamas-led “March of Return” protest in Gaza.

“Z’L” stands for the Hebrew phrase “zikhrono livrakha,” which translates to “may his memory be a blessing.”

On March 28, 2019, Shoup posted on the same Facebook event page: “Rest in power, Sajid Mizher. Sajid was an 18 year old volunteer paramedic. He was murdered in cold blood by Israeli occupying soldiers in Bethlehem, Palestine.”

On March 29, 2020, the Israeli Defense Forces released aerial footage of the incident showing a paramedic removing his vest and throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers.

On March 27, 2019 the PFLP terror organization issued a statement confirming Mizher was a member. In photos Shoup posted of Mizher, he was wearing a PFLP headband.

On June 10, 2018, Shoup was a guest on a “411 Teen” podcast about SJP.

In the podcast, Shoup said [00:30:07]: “you can call Palestinians terrorists all you want, but at the end of the day, like, if someone has a rock versus they have a tank, who do you think is really exerting more violence in that situation?... We don’t really have a right to criticize how people choose to resist while we sit in our cushy armchairs and, you know, march every couple of months.”

Supporting Violent Protesters

On March 26, 2019, Shoup posted on the Facebook page for an FSU SJP event supporting the Gaza March of Return: “Israel has been raining fire on Gaza, collectively punishing its 2 million inhabitants… Please come out this Saturday to spread awareness about the #GreatReturnMarch because these photos are exactly why Palestinians have been protesting at the apartheid border for an entire year! #GazaUnderAttack.”

The Facebook event page description said: “Since protests began last year, Israel has killed over 300 Palestinians and injured 29,000. Despite these tremendous effects, Palestinians in Gaza continue to come out to the border to protest Israel's blockade and to demand their right to return to their land.”

The event description continued: “Join FSU Students for Justice in Palestine with the Party for Socialism and Liberation for our own participation alongside Palestinians as they enter 1 full year of protest against the Zionist state.”

On March 30, 2019, the date of the protest, Shoup also posted on the event page clarifying the location of the protest and ended her post: “See you at 4!”

On the same date, Shoup shared an FSU SJP Facebook post commemorating the March of Return. The post claimed the riots were “a protest movement to demand the Right of Return to their stolen lands” and that Gazans were “shot at by Israeli snipers for exercising their right to assembly.” The post continued: “we commemorate... the hundreds of martyrs of the Great Return March.”

Demonizing Zionism

On July 21, 2019, speaking on “The Minyan” podcast, Shoup criticized [01:13:55] Jews who attribute “all of Zionism’s atrocities and horrors to Netanyahu and Likud, instead of seeing this as like an ongoing 70-year, realistically like over a century-long project in the making.”

Shoup continued [01:15:05]: “it’s just so transparent how racist and anti-Semitic and Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian this project is, and there’s still so many people that are willing to grovel at Israel’s feet.”

On August 11, 2019, Shoup wrote in a Facebook post: “this tisha b’av i will be mourning the tragedy of zionism, which has convinced so many jews around the world that our community’s safety is rooted in islamophobia, racist policing & apartheid. 💔.”

Tisha B’Av, regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, is a day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.

Shoup’s post shared an FSU SJP post that alleged: “Israeli soldiers and settlers have raided and desecrated #AlAqsa Mosque” and “The Israeli police then cleared the compound of Palestinian Muslims and allowed Jewish Israelis to storm Al Aqsa for Tisha B’Av prayers.”

On August 11, 2019, Palestinian rioters gathered at the gates of the Al Aqsa compound after rumors circulated that police would allow Jewish visitors on to the Temple Mount. This was in honor of Tisha B’Av, which is regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendar and a day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.

Rioters threw stones at police and threw chairs and other objects at Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount.

Trivializing Anti-Semitism

On July 13, 2020, Shoup shared on Facebook an open letter that she signed, criticizing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism and FSU’s Student Senate Resolution 59 that would adopt the definition.

The IHRA highlights as one possible contemporary example of anti-Semitism: “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.”

The letter called for the resolution to “Replace the IHRA definition with a serious analysis of antisemitism that affirms the centrality of ending white supremacy in the struggle to end all related systems of oppression.”

On December 17, 2019, Shoup published an op-ed in Mondoweiss where she defended Jeremy Corbyn and claimed he was the victim of a “right-wing smear campaign” that “slandered [him] as antisemitic for insufficient deferrence to Israel.” Shoup also claimed that “Labour apologized for antisemitism where it didn’t exist.”

Jeremy Corbyn, a British politician and leader of the Labour Party, has repeatedly referenced terror organizations Hamas and Hezbollah as “friends,” shared platforms with extremists and anti-Semites and compared Israel’s government to ISIS.

Shoup also wrote in her article: “We have to learn from Labour’s failure to categorically reject the conflation of antisemitism and anti-Zionism (or even mere criticism of Israel) or we are doomed to repeat their mistakes and succumb to the smear campaign.”

On December 13, 2019, Shoup shared to Facebook an article from the Electronic Intifada (EI) that defended Jeremy Corbyn and claimed the Labour Party was the victim of “an unprecedented smear campaign… a lie manufactured to smash the left and the Palestine solidarity movement.”

The EI article claimed that “Corbyn and his advisers capitulated” to accusations of anti-Semitism and that “Instead of challenging lies as lies, Corbyn kept robotically condemning anti-Semitism, even when there was no real anti-Semitism to condemn.”

Shoup quoted from the EI article in her Facebook post: “Labour’s worst performance since 1983 carries an important lesson for the grassroots left-wing campaign in the United States to elect [Bernie] Sanders as president: You must defeat false anti-Semitism smears at all costs.”

Spreading Hatred of Israel

On January 28, 2020, Shoup shared a Facebook post from the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) with side-by-side maps that purported to show “ISRAELI APARTHEID” and “SOUTH AFRICAN APARTHEID.”

On November 25, 2019, Shoup posted a video of herself on Facebook in which she said [00:00:09]: “as a Jewish American, it is unacceptable to me that every year 10 million of our U.S. taxpayer dollars goes towards funding a brutal military occupation and apartheid regime in the name of so-called ‘safety’ for the Jewish people.”

On August 27, 2019, Shoup shared an article on Facebook that called for American Jews to boycott Birthright Israel (Birthright.)

Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.

The article claimed that Birthright’s “entire raison d’être is to further the odious goals of ethnonationalism: strengthening diaspora Jews’ connection with Israel, and Jewish continuity.”

The article alleged that “the reality of Israel and the occupation” was “how Jewishness has been turned into a bludgeon of segregation, oppression, and murder” and that “Birthright’s very premise — that Jews have a literal birthright to the Land of Israel — is inherently one of ethnic cleansing.”

Promoting BDS

On December 23, 2019, Shoup was quoted in a VOA News article saying that FSU SJP was “pressuring Florida State University to cut contracts with companies that profit from Israeli occupation” and that they “fight for Palestinian dignity and freedom” with BDS.

On December 17, 2019, Shoup wrote in a Mondoweiss op-ed that: “our goal ultimately should be to pressure [ U.S. Senator Bernie] Sanders to endorse BDS.”

On November 22, 2019, Shoup shared an article on Facebook from Electronic Intifada about Bernie Sanders’ views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Shoup quoted from the article: “Thank you for your humane words Bernie Sanders, especially about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, but if you’re serious about supporting Palestinian rights, now let's hear you loudly and clearly endorse BDS.”

On November 17, 2019, speaking at an FSU SJP anti-Israel protest, Shoup said [00:04:56]: “This is why we support the BDS movement… BDS is the bare minimum we can do for our Palestinian brothers and sisters.”

Shoup continued [00:05:50]: “we must do more. At the very least we have to skip the Sabra hummus and the Loreal shampoo and the Puma sneakers when we go shopping. We must pressure FSU and… our houses of worship and our sports associations to cut ties with Israeli companies and institutions, and we must pressure our legislators to no longer support sending even a single penny to the Israeli apartheid regime.”

Shoup also announced [00:06:50] that FSU SJP was “planning on launching a divestment working group to pressure FSU to cut contracts with companies that profit off stolen Palestinian land.”

On October 25, 2019, Shoup wrote in a Facebook post: “BDS is the absolute minimum we can do to resist israeli apartheid and occupation.” Shoup’s post linked to an open letter by Palestinian Americans opposing J Street for the group’s support of Israel as Jewish state, rather than a Palestinian one.

FSU SJP - Defending FSU SJP Activist Embroiled in Anti-Semitism Controversy

In the summer of 2020, Shoup expressed support for FSU SJP member, Ahmad Daraldik, who reportedly spread anti-Semitism online and created a website in 2016 that compared Israel to Nazi Germany.

On June 12, 2020, Shoup posted in a Facebook discussion about Daraldik: “i’m jewish✌️and i think ahmad rules and shouldn’t be held liable for offensive posts from when he was 12 and that you shouldn’t gatekeep this conversation 😇 also f**k israel, all my homies hate israel.”

Shoup signed a June 2020 FSU SJP statement in support of Daraldik.On June 12, 2020, FSU SJP shared a statement on Facebook defending SJP activist Ahmad Daraldik following calls for his removal as FSU Student Senate President, after it was discovered that Daraldik shared anti-Semitic content on social media.

Daraldik, who was appointed Student Senate President at FSU in June 2020, faced calls for his removal when his social media posts and website were publicized. Daraldik retained his position after a vote by student senators at FSU.

Daraldik had assumed the presidency of the student senate on June 6, 2020 after presiding over an inappropriate student senate vote of no-confidence against fellow student Jack Denton, who was then Senate Student President.

The FSU SJP statement claimed that the calls for Daraldik to be removed as Senate President were “racially and politically motivated to smear and silence Palestinian students and critics of the state of Israel” and “rooted in anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia.”

The statement continued: “If SRR [FSU Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities] and/or Student Government staff take disciplinary action against Ahmad, Florida State University will be legitimizing anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia as well as weaponizing antisemitism to stifle free speech.”

On July 24, 2020 BDS Report tweeted that Daraldik had “just shared a new video on his Instagram story claiming that the problem with Jews is they make everything about themselves.”

The video Daraldik shared on his Instagram story featured a man claiming: “And most Jewish people, when talking about this conflict, it's you guys always want to shift the focus back to you. It’s always anti-Semitism, it’s always anti-Jew. Everything has to be about you guys.”

In October 2020, FSU’s Student Supreme Court ruled that the no-confidence vote, which targeted Denton for his statements of religious conviction, made in a Catholic Student Union’s private group chat in his capacity as a private citizen, violated Denton’s rights to Freedom of Speech and Freedom to Exercise Religion under the Student Body Constitution and Statutes, as well as the Constitution of the United States and of Florida.

Attending the 2019 National SJP Conference

On November 4, 2019, Shoup appeared in an FSU SJP group photo on Facebook that was captioned: “Power to all people in REVOLT ✊ We are finally home from an exhilarating #NSJP2019 conference and we are so excited to bring home new knowledge, skills and revolutionary energy to our SJP chapter 🇵🇸❤️ Come to our GBM [General Board Meeting] tonight at 8pm in ASLC 101B to hear our delegates report back on the conference! 🥰 #FREEPALESTINE.”

On October 9, 2019, Shoup appealed [00:02:59] to the FSU Student Senate for funding assistance for FSU SJP to attend the National SJP conference. Shoup also said [00:03:06] that she had attended the 2018 National SJP conference.

On the same date, Shoup appeared in an FSU SJP group photo on Facebook captioned: “WE’RE GOING TO THE NSJP CONFERENCE 🙌 After 50 minutes of tense debate, the Student Senate voted to pass Resolution 42 with no amendments, granting us $1,344 in travel assistance! Thank you so much to everyone who came out, your presence really made a difference. Onto the next victory! 🇵🇸✊.”

On October 4, 2019, Shoup posted on Facebook calling for students to support SJP and attend the SGA finance committee hearings on SJP’s request for travel funding assistance to attend the National SJP conference.

The 2019 National SJP Conference was held at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities (UMN), from November 1-3. The Conference themes centered on support for BDS as well as the rejection of Israel and Zionism.

The Conference partnered with numerous anti-Israel organizations and conducted their event in a clandestine manner.

2019 National SJP - Supporting BDS

The Conference website called to capitalize on shifts in the political climate, represented by the elections to the U.S. Congress of Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who both support BDS. National SJP speakers also reportedly drew attention to Rep. Omar’s support for the BDS movement as the Representative for UMN’s Congressional district.

During the Conference, National SJP speakers reportedly “noted the success of past divestment campaigns at the University [UMN], which ultimately resulted in the passing of a campus-wide [BDS] referendum in 2018.”

The UMN resolution passed in 2018 by a margin of 3.4 percent of those students who voted, translating to approval by 6.18% of all eligible voters. Less than 13% of the eligible voters actually voted on UMN’s BDS referendum.

2019 National SJP - Rejecting Israel and Zionism

The 2019 National SJP Conference website indicated that the goal of their “solidarity movement” was to push for policies that “demanded the end of” the state of Israel, referred to as “the Israeli occupation.”

The website clarified that “the Palestinian struggle against Zionism, extends beyond the confines of 1967, and well before the Nakba,” and was based on the rejection of Jewish national self-determination in Israel.

Nakba is an Arabic term for “catastrophe” and refers to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel.

2019 National SJP - Heightened Secrecy

The 2019 National SJP Conference required attendees to be “verified and vouched for” by an SJP chapter to which they belonged and required each chapter to register as a group. The conference also required each group to be verified by a “reference––someone who is NOT going to this conference but who is or has recently been a part of your SJP.”

Members of allied student groups could register only as part of an SJP chapter delegation which, in turn, needed to be “vouched for by their campus’s SJP” for “security culture and accountability reasons.”

The Conference also restricted media access to journalists “registered and confirmed by our Media Committee in advance to attend the conference. Absolutely no exceptions will be made.”

During the Conference, National SJP reportedly covered the windows of the conference hall.

2019 National SJP - Partnering Organizations

National SJP partnered with other anti-Israel organizations to table, sell merchandise and lead workshops, including CODEPINK, Palestine Youth Movement (PYM), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Palestine Legal, Watan Palestine and the Adalah Justice Project.

Keynote speakers included Loubna Qutami, Chair of PYM, as well as Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP). Other speakers included Miko Peled, Sandra Tamari, Suhad Katib, Chris Gazaleh, Clarissa Bitar, Tariq Luthun, Maytha Alhassen and Sima Shakhsari.

FSU SJP - Glorifying Terrorists

On November 17, 2019, FSU SJP organized a protest titled: “Emergency Demo: #GazaUnderAttack.” The Facebook event page said: “Israeli airstrikes are not ‘self-defense.’ By the Israel Defense Forces' own admission, Israel initiated the latest wave of aggression with the illegal, extra-judicial execution of resistance fighter Bahaa Abu al-Atta and his wife.”

In November 2019, Israel launched “Operation Black Belt” to stop rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. The rockets were sent by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror group on November 12-14, 2019, targeting Israel’s biggest civilian population centers.

FSU SJP’s Facebook event description said: “Rather than self-defense, Israeli airstrikes are a form of collective punishment against Gaza's 2 million inhabitants” and that “The mainstream media and prominent politicians repeat the Israeli ‘self-defense’ trope over and over...”

At the protest, FSU SJP President Shelby Shoup said [00:02:05]: “I cannot imagine how dehumanizing it is to hear American journalists and politicians discussing Israel’s ‘right to self defense,’ insinuating that Palestinians are terrorists.” Activists also chanted [00:00:46] “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

The chant “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state. It is a chant calling to dismantle the State of Israel.

On October 8, 2018, FSU SJP hosted an event titled:“Palestinian Revolutionaries.” The Facebook event description said: “Come screen some videos of Palestinian revolutionaries like Ghassan Kanafani and Leila Khaled! The revolutionaries that come out of liberation-resistance movements are who we look up to and who exemplify what it means to organize.”

Kanafani was a leading member and spokesperson for the terrorist organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) during their formative years. Kanafani was also involved in the Lod Airport Massacre near Tel Aviv, for which PFLP took responsibility.

Leila Khaled participated in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969 and El Al Flight 219 in 1970. She was a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

On October 6, 2018, FSU SJP promoted the event on Facebook and wrote: “We'll also be discussing the PLO & PFLP!!!”

Yasser Arafat, known as the “father of modern terrorism,” was the former leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). During the second intifada, Arafat encouraged children to carry out “martyrdom” operations against Israel.

Arafat reportedly told Arab diplomats in a secret meeting in 1996: "We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion. Jews will not want to live among Arabs. I have no use for Jews. They are and remain Jews."

FSU SJP - Promoting Violence

On July 12, 2019, FSU SJP posted a graphic on Instagram depicting Palestinians holding rocks and slingshots. FSU SJP wrote: “Anyone know the artist?

#FreePalestine.”

Rock throwing is a deadly form of violence, despite being romanticized as a form of “popular resistance.”

On November 26, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled: “Divestment Working Group Meeting.” The event cover photo on its Facebook page was a poster featuring an individual holding a slingshot with text that said “Free the land 'by any means necessary.’”

FSU - SJP Supporting Violent Protesters

On March 30, 2020, FSU SJP posted on Facebook commemorating the “Great March of Return,” describing it as “a protest movement to demand the Right of Return to their stolen lands” and claiming Palestinians were “shot at by Israeli snipers for exercising their right to assembly.” The post said: “... we commemorate… the hundreds of martyrs of the Great Return March.”

On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests,” or the “March of Return.” The march was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests to spotlight the Palestinian demand to “return” to Israel. The “right of return” has since been discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.

March participants sent scores of kites bearing explosive devices across Israel’s border to burn Israeli crops and homes. Participants also attempted to breach the border fence, which caused the Israeli Defense Forces to respond with live fire. Agitators also threw Molotov cocktails and firebombs, shot firearms and threw rocks.

On March 30, 2019, FSU SJP co-hosted an event to commemorate one year since the beginning of the March of Return.

On April 8, 2018, FSU SJP wrote on Facebook: “we've seen the IOF [Israel Occupation Forces] deploy at least 100 snipers in anticipation of unarmed demonstrators attending the Great Return March who, after being shot by said snipers, are being smeared in American media as terrorists and pawns for nonviolently asserting their dignity and human rights--specifically their Right of Return.”

On April 6, 2018, FSU SJP held a “Vigil for Gaza” which the Facebook event description said was “to memorialize those killed by the IDF” in the Gaza March of Return riots.

An April 2, 2018 post by FSU SJP on the Facebook page for the event said: “Reem & Tyler will be speaking on Gaza & the 17 martyrs that we lost.”

The majority of Gazans who died from March 30, 2018 to April 6, 2018 were confirmed as terror operatives, killed while rioting against Israeli forces, carrying out terrorist attacks or trying to infiltrate Israel by destroying the border fence on its border with Gaza.

FSU SJP - Spreading Incitement

On August 11, 2019, FSU SJP alleged in a Facebook post that “Israeli soldiers and settlers have raided and desecrated #AlAqsa Mosque” and “The Israeli police then cleared the compound of Palestinian Muslims and allowed Jewish Israelis to storm Al Aqsa for Tisha B’Av prayers.”

Tisha B’Av is a Jewish day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples, which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

On August 11, 2019, Palestinian rioters threw stones at police and threw chairs and other objects at Jewish visitors to the compound after police allowed them to enter the site, to commemorate Tisha B’Av.

The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque served as the excuse for an upsurge in Palestinian violence that flared in the fall of 2015 and incited Palestinians to attempt mass casualty attacks on Israeli civilians in July 2016.

Such propaganda has been a traditional pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state.

FSU SJP - Opposing the IHRA Definition of Anti-Semitism

In December of 2019, FSU SJP launched a campaign to combat the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism.

On December 16, 2019, FSU SJP posted on Facebook “Proud to co-sign ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻” and linked to a National SJP statement condemning then-U.S. President Trump’s executive order on combating anti-Semitism.

National SJP’s statement said they “explicitly condemn” the Trump administration’s “adoption of the IHRA [anti-Semitism] definition, which conflates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism.”

Several examples of anti-Semitism given in the IHRA’s definition relate to Israel, however the definition states: “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”

The IHRA’s definition was adopted by the U.S. State Department in 2016. Canada, Australia, Israel, Argentina and twenty-eight European countries have also adopted the definition.

Trump’s “Executive Order On Combating Anti-Semitism,” issued on December 11, 2019, stated that the IHRA anti-Semitism definition would be considered when enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as protection for Jews discriminated against based on ethnic, racial or national characteristics.

On July 7, 2020, FSU SJP posted on Facebook urging students to oppose FSU’s 72nd Student Senate Resolution #: 59 that would recognize the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. The Facebook post called for students to join a Student Life & Academic Affairs (SLAA) committee Zoom meeting to express their opposition to the resolution.

The Facebook post also linked to a Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) letter that urged “governments, municipalities, universities and other institutions to reject the IHRA definition” of anti-Semitism.

Later on July 7, 2020, FSU SJP posted on Facebook that the resolution passed through the SLAA. The post said: “Settler-colonialism is racism. Apartheid is racism. Zionism is racism.”

On July 8, 2020, FSU SJP posted to Facebook a “call-to-action email toolkit” to urge FSU student senators to vote no to the resolution.

FSU SJP’s call-to-action toolkit claimed that implementing the IHRA definition “legitimizes the silencing and blacklisting of Palestinian students, allies and solidarity organizations” and that the definition’s examples of anti-Semitism related to Israel is “a way to shut down any criticism of Israel’s racist policies.”

On July 14, 2020, FSU SJP promoted on Facebook an open letter by FSU students & alumni that called for the resolution to “Replace the IHRA definition with a serious analysis of antisemitism that affirms the centrality of ending white supremacy in the struggle to end all related systems of oppression.”

On July 15, 2020, the FSU student senate held another Zoom meeting to vote on the 72nd Student Senate Resolution #: 59 which passed, with 26 votes in favor and 14 against resolution.

Following the passage of the resolution on July 15, 2020, FSU SJP wrote on Facebook the FSU senate “affirms… the censorship of pro-Palestine speech on campus.”

FSU SJP - Promoting Conspiracy Theories

On July 5, 2020, FSU SJP co-hosted an anti-Israel protest titled “Day of Rage.”

The Facebook event page description said: “our police departments continue participating in the Deadly Exchange: learning ‘counter-terrorism’ strategies from the IDF to militarize Black and brown communities here, and teaching stop-and-frisk strategies to the Israeli police to harass Black and brown communities in occupied Palestine.”

Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) launched the “Deadly Exchange” campaign in 2017. The campaign claimed that American Jewish organizations promoted human rights abuses. A video for the campaign by JVP accused American Jewish organizations of planning programs between American and Israeli security personnel, to advance “racist policies.”

On September 23, 2019, FSU SJP hosted a meeting titled “ICE vs. IDF: Detention, Deportation & Family Separation.” An event flyer said: “ICE & THE IDF HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.” The meeting also included a presentation about the “deadly exchange.”

On June 17, 2019, FSU SJP tabled on campus to educate about “pinkwashing” and promote anti-Israel materials. One of the items FSU SJP promoted was a booklet titled “Israel’s Worldwide Role in Repression.”

The booklet was published by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), which claims to “struggle against Zionism” and accuses Israel of the “ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”

The booklet claimed that Israel’s military campaigns “serve as an [sic] laboratory
to develop weapons, surveillance technology, and tactics of population control that are then marketed across the globe.” It also alleged Israel was “at the forefront of a global industry of repression” and that “In the Middle East, Israel is the primary aggressor.”

FSU SJP - Spreading Hatred of Israel-Supporters

On March 11, 2020, FSU SJP posted a photo on its Facebook page of pro-Israel students tabling on campus and wrote that “The Zionist Organization of America… is a right-wing, Islamophobic org… The normalization of Zionism on campus = normalization of the alt-right. Why are they tabling at Market Wednesday?”

The policy of “anti-normalization” aims to ensure that all interactions between Israelis and Palestinians align only with the Arab agenda, including ending the occupation and a full right of return for Palestinians, which is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. The policies are shared with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

FSU SJP - Demonizing Israel

On November 18, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled “Hasbara: Debunking Zionist myths.” The Facebook event description claimed: “Hasbara refers to public relations efforts to disseminate positive information about the State of Israel that whitewashes its apartheid regime and military occupation.”

The description also said: “There are countless arguments that whitewash Israeli apartheid… Let's discuss what narratives we usually hear in defense of Israel and learn how to respond to some of the most common hasbara talking points!”

On October 7, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled “GBM:Apartheid 101: Palestine, South Africa & the Jim Crow South.” The Facebook event description claimed about the description of Israel as apartheid: “nothing could more aptly describe Palestinian life..”

On September 23, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled “ICE vs. IDF: Detention, Deportation & Family Separation.” The Facebook event page description claimed that “Detentions, deportations and family separations are routine aspects of Palestinian life. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) uses borders, walls and widespread abusive detention of Palestinians…”

On May 15, 2019, FSU SJP held a “Nakba Day” event. The Facebook event description said: “Nakba Day is the anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of May 15, 1948 in which Zionist militias forcefully expelled 800,000 Palestinians from their homeland” and that Nakba “also refers to the ongoing, 71-year long legacy of Israeli military occupation and apartheid.”

Nakba is an Arabic term for “catastrophe” and refers to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel.

On the same date, FSU SJP posted photos from the event on Facebook, including of their “mock apartheid wall,” with a panel claiming to show maps of Israel’s “LAND THEFT.”

Lands previously controlled by Jordan, Egypt and Britain are shown as autonomous “Palestinian land,” which the maps suggest were stolen by Israel.

In 2016, copies of a college textbook containing the misleading maps were recalled by publisher MCGraw-Hill.

SJP groups on campuses have constructed mock “apartheid” walls to draw attention to alleged Israeli human rights violations against Palestinians

On April 4, 2019, FSU SJP promoted an event on Facebook where they would “be delving further into the topics that you all saw on our wall and we will be going deeper into the issues surrounding Palestine, Gaza, the Great Return March, Zionism, & Israel.”

On April 2, 2019, FSU SJP displayed their “mock apartheid wall” on the FSU campus.

FSU SJP - Promoting BDS

On February 1, 2021 the FSU Student Life Academic Affairs Committee (SLAA) voted against a BDS bill written and sponsored by FSU SJP member Ahmad Daraldik. that called on FSU to divest from a number of companies doing business with Israel.

On December 3, 2019, FSU SJP held a meeting about launching a divestment campaign against Israel. The event description said: “We are preparing to launch a campaign to pressure Florida State University to divest from companies that knowingly profit off of Palestinian oppression. Please come out to our new weekly Divestment working group meetings to strategize and build together!”

On November 26, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled “Divestment Working Group Meeting.” The Facebook description for the event said participants would “research Divestment campaigns on other North American campuses, including the language of their Divestment resolutions and what tactics they employed to win student support.”

The event description also said “It's going to be a long and difficult road to introducing and passing a Divestment resolution to the Student Senate this year, but we think it's possible if we all do our part!”

On November 13, 2018, FSU SJP held an event promoting BDS. The event description said: “Come get your BDS shopping list of all the products & brands that you should be boycotting NOW! Boycott Israel, bring down the occupation!”

SJP

SJP is a student organization engaged in anti-Israel activity on North American college and university campuses.

The first chapter of SJP was founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley by Professor Hatem Bazian. Bazian has spread classic anti-Semitism, reportedly promoted religious anti-Semitism and defended the Hamas terror group. In 2004, Bazian called for “intifada” in America.

SJP organizes anti-Israel campaigns, including running annual Israel Apartheid Weeks, often in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) campus chapters.

SJP has been a major force in pushing the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campuses. Chapters have initiated dozens of BDS resolutions in student governments, which have been proposed on or around Jewish holidays, a time when many Jewish students are off-campus.

SJP activists have reportedly physically assaulted, intimidated and harassed Jewish students, disrupted pro-Israel campus events and demonized pro-Israel campus organizations.

Chapters have often endorsed and campaigned for numerous terrorists and whitewashed terrorism.

BDS

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.

One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”

Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”

In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”

The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.

BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.

The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.

Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.

BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.