Coverage of the 'Free Palestine' protests (3 May) at UB & The Battle for the "Paint-a-Bull"
Coverage of the 'Free Palestine' protests (3 May) at UB & The Battle for the "Paint-a-Bull"
An anonymous tipster gives GVO the details with photos, videos & a few comments. - Read to learn more about the Zionist/anti-Zionist battle over the "Paint a Bull" statue, mass arrests & more.
BUFFALO, NY - Pro Palestine protestors gathered at the University of Buffalo Friday afternoon, urging the university to financially divest from the Jewish state of Israel.
Pro Palestine protestors reportedly gathered at Cooke Hall on Friday afternoon and marched East to Capen Hall where several speeches were heard. No violence was observed or reported, and no arrests were made. Our tipster did not observe any counter protestors. They also clarified the nature of the propaganda battle for control of the “Paint-a-Bull” statue.
Just two days prior, 15 protestors had been arrested on campus for conduct and other charges related to what was alleged to be an illegal encampment. Any predictions of those arrests leaving a chilling effect on anti-Zionist actions were disproven. Our tipster claimed to have observed approximately 200-300 attendees.
Video Credit: Anonymous
The anonymous observer stated that the “Paint-a-Bull” statue is mostly covered in Blue and White colors with Stars of David, an identical color scheme to Israel's flag.
The messaging, however, is clearly critical of the Jewish state boldly declaring it a “TERROR STATE” from which “SUNY MUST DIVEST.”
"There is an ongoing back and forth on campus with this buffalo that everyone paints. It’s one of those things at college that everyone does, and they can paint the buffalo at nighttime. which is the only time anyone is allowed to paint it, but there's been a back-and-forth fight over painting this Buffalo between pro-Zionist and pro-Palestine demonstrators.
The buffalo had previously been painted with pro-Israel messages and someone came in and changed it calling for [UB] to divest from the State of Israel and its investment and associations with it."
-Anonymous witness
Eileen Buckley of WKBW described the "Paint-a-Bull" statue's rules in a similar fashion, inserting the description of the first come, first serve turn-based system.
The witness also claimed to have seen multiple police agencies throughout the protest with snow plows blocking off streets.
According to The Spectrum, UB’s student newspaper the rally was apparently organized by Students for Justice in Palestine.
Our witness reported seeing an unidentified drone. It is possible it may have belonged to The Spectrum.
One speaker, a young woman in Islamic attire presented American support of Israel as hypocritical. The woman opted for a fairly universal message referencing a commonly neglected group popular with conservatives, veterans in crisis.
The speaker also addressed usurious student debt, contrasting the lack of enthusiasm to fix that and other aforementioned issues with the political and financial will to support Israeli conquest.
"They will not take care of their veterans who are homeless and have disparities in accessing healthcare. They will not address the homeless crisis. They will not address the amount of medical and student debt you will all walk off this campus with, but they have billions to invest in a genocide!"
Background
Circling back to Eileen Buckley’s coverage of ongoing protests, one sees that Buckley conducted interviews with several students. These students by chance, are nearly all Jewish. They also feel comfortable showing their faces on camera.
Pro-Palestine protestors at both UB and U of R have felt discomfort doing the same. Some protesting students have even been banned from campus.
While some ascribe this secrecy to criminal intentions, others have suggested this as evidence of the presence of a power dynamic in America that may favor Jew over Gentile.
This discomfort even forced a U of R Student Senate meeting into an unauthorized executive session “to ensure anonymity.” This happened during a vote for a Ceasefire and Divestment Resolution.
Nevertheless, the resolution passed.
Buckley proceeds to ask the Jewish students if the use of the Star of David is desecration as it is an important racial and ethnoreligious symbol.
“It is honestly, I think that everyone should be able to be proud of who they are.”
Wrap Up
With this racial symbol present on nearly all pro-Israeli propaganda, it seems antisemitism and identifying Jews with any disagreeable actions have become one in the same. This seems especially true when those actions are deemed essential to Jewish survival such as the annihilation or removal of the people of Gaza.
Death tolls in Gaza have surpassed 34,000 as Israel continues into its 7th month of indiscriminate attacks on Gaza.
A majority of reported deaths have been women and children and have yet to deter US governmental support for the Israeli regime.
It's wonderful to see college kids protesting for something worthwhile. The area around UB is poor, dirty, and no doubt crime ridden as evidenced by the bars on the windows of many stores and houses. Government funds would be better spent here in the U.S. instead of paying for the weapons Israel is using to genocide the Palestinians.