We are Student Voices for Palestine, an officially recognized student group at Villanova University, and we are here to demand freedom and justice for Palestine; to voice our dissent from our government’s support of Israel’s genocide; and to call for Villanova to stand up against the mass murder of Palestinians.  

In a national climate of fear created by the Trump administration, we are here to assemble and reclaim campus space to speak out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza. We are devastated and outraged that Israel broke the ceasefire agreement on March 18th by bombing Gaza and killing over 1000 civilians. According to the UN, Gaza is a “death trap”, “an endless loop of blood, pain, [and] death.” Israel’s war crimes are not limited to Gaza—in late January, over 40,000 Palestinians were expelled by Israeli forces in the West Bank. 

The ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestine since October 7th is a world-historical catastrophe, and the silence pervading Villanova’s campus is a moral disaster. We are here to stand up and speak out for freedom and justice for Palestine. We call on Villanova to hear and see us.  

As a Catholic institution, Villanova thankfully does not directly invest in companies that arm Israel’s genocide. However, companies that supply weapons to Israel, such as Lockheed Martin and L3Harris, are some of the largest corporate sponsors of our job fairs. Companies that profit from genocide should not be welcomed to Villanova’s campus. We must ask ourselves: how can Villanova invite businesses that bankroll genocide onto our campus and offer jobs to our students? How much longer can we sustain the illusion of normalcy on our campus? We are here because we feel morally obligated to liberate Palestine. We are ignited by our conscience to say “No!” to business-as-usual on campus.  

Therefore, we demand that Villanova cut all ties to companies that materially support and benefit from Israel’s war crimes. We call on our undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty to have the courage to speak up and organize for Palestine. We need louder, more visible dissent against Israel’s genocide on our campus. 

Top universities such as Columbia have quickly capitulated to Trump’s authoritarian suppression of academic freedom and free speech. Will Villanova follow their lead? Will we succumb to fear and apathy? Or will we stay true to our mission and principles?  

The student movement calling for freedom and justice in Palestine is the moral compass guiding the future of this country. We are pointing to a future of justice, freedom, and equality. The future will remember the silent complicity of Villanova University. The future will remember all the universities that yielded to Trump’s attacks on free speech. And the future will remember the protesters who spoke for liberation and justice for Palestine. Join us.