DEMAND SWARTHMORE DROP CHARGES FOR THE SWAT 9
Valerie Smith, Stephanie Ives, Anthony Coschignano
Swarthmore College is actively pursuing third-degree misdemeanor charges against the Swarthmore 9, carrying a maximum punishment of one year in prison. The precedent Swarthmore is setting through this case, and when it called 40+ cops to campus to destroy the Hossam Shabat Liberated Zone encampment and arrest 9 protesters in May, demonstrate that the college is only willing to protect its investments in “israeli” genocide. All of these repressive measures have only been deployed when students reject the college’s complicity in genocide. Swarthmore continues to show that its supposed values hold no meaning as the college continues to invest in companies like Cisco Systems which is a proud partner of the “israeli” occupation.
Swarthmore’s unwillingness to disclose its financial investments and further unwillingness to divest from companies facilitating the mass slaughter and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians is disgraceful. The college is actively pursuing these charges because it is terrified of any sort of dissent and act of resistance. They are actively criminalizing political speech at an educational institution, showing the dangerous direction the college is heading under a presidential administration that continues to crack down on dissent and target pro-Palestine activists. The trial date for the Swarthmore 9 is currently set for June 29, but we need to pressure the college to drop these charges before then. Now, more than ever, it is our responsibility to hold Swarthmore accountable.
DEMAND SWARTHMORE DROP THE CHARGES!
Petition by
To:
Valerie Smith, Stephanie Ives, Anthony Coschignano
From:
[Your Name]
To the Swarthmore administration:
I am writing to express deep concern regarding the third-misdemeanor charges brought against the Swarthmore 9 for using their First Amendment right to free speech and protest.
From actions taken by the Swarthmore Afro-American Student Society in 1969 to contemporary protests organized by Mountain Justice, Organizing for Survivors, and Students for Justice in Palestine, Swarthmore has a long, rich history of student activism. This history, as well as Swarthmore’s professed Quaker values, are what the College has made its name on. It is disturbing to see Swarthmore turn its back on its values in order to attack the very students who are fighting for a more just, peaceful world for all.
In this moment of heightened political repression nationwide, it is more critical than ever to defend the rights of students to free speech and protest. I urge Swarthmore to stand on the right side of history and drop these charges.