Notre Dame, you can’t hide. You’re condoning genocide.
On Tuesday, January 23rd, over 100 Notre Dame students, staff, and faculty and South Bend community members gathered on Angela Street and Notre Dame Avenue in snow and ice for a rally condemning Amy Coney Barett and Alex Stein, Israeli Supreme Court Injustice. The two had been invited by Notre Dame’s Law School for a private event to discuss “competing approaches to legal interpretations”. However, there is only one way to interpret Israeli law: an apartheid state that permits the genocide of Palestinians. The invitation was a clear strategy to legitimize relations between Notre Dame and a government who is facing charges of war crimes in the International Criminal Court. Notre Dame’s zeal for Zionism is not atypical as they continue to hold ongoing partnerships with Lockheed Martin and Tel Aviv University.
Alex Stein has served on the Israeli Supreme Court since 2018. He has played a vital role in shifting Israel’s already conservative society to a new extreme: upholding racial bans, enshrining ethno-religious discrimination, allowing policies of settlement expansion in the West Bank, and condemning LGBTQ+ rights in Israel. Stein is a supporter of illegal settlements, previously arguing that settlers are crucial to helping “the army carry out its mission”.
Student Voices for Palestine at Notre Dame submitted a request for a passive display board at the Law School as a peaceful attempt to engage in open dialogue with the event attendees. This display was rejected by the Student Activities Office and relocated to a completely different building on campus. Notre Dame has been hosting its “Walk the Walk” events for the past 10 days, a campaign celebrating diversity and inclusivity while censoring Pro-Palestinian students, staff, and faculty. After the protest, Notre Dame released a blatant lie, claiming to support “academic freedoms”.
Still, this act of censorship did not stop Notre Dame students, staff, and faculty from attending the protest alongside South Bend residents. Chants of “Shame, Shame on Notre Dame” were loud and clear as protestors rallied and marched through Eddy Street.
Our message to Notre Dame is this:
If you continue to bring apartheid officials into our communities, we will always respond with dissent.
The protest was organized by Michiana Friends of Palestine, Black Lives Matter of South Bend, Michiana Jews Against Colonialism, Freedom Road Socialist Organization of Michigan, and Democratic Socialists of Northern Indiana. We extend our gratitude and heartfelt thanks to everyone who organized and participated in the protest.
Free Palestine