Post Detail

Anti-Israel convention in Chicago suburb instructs students how to 'make your campus Palestinian': Report

The Free Press reported on the 17th Annual Convention for Palestine, which took place last week at the Tinley Park Convention Center, dubbing itself "the largest gathering for Palestine in the US" according to its website. 

There was a game called "Crisis Room" aimed at "figur[ing] out strategies" on how to combat an Israeli official appearing on their campus.

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) hosts its 17th Annual Convention for Palestine, advocating for Palestine, in Tinley Park village of Illinois, United States on November 30, 2024. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A participant responded by saying the students should organize a protest and recruit demonstrators through the messaging app Telegram. Another raised concerns about accusations of antisemitism, suggesting the anti-Israel group Jewish Voice for Peace join the protest. 

"The first complaint is going to be ‘Oh, this is antisemitic,’ " she said. "I think we need like a JVP, or something like that, with Jewish people. We want White people, Jewish students there."

Hundreds gathered for the anti-Israel encampment at the University of Chicago last spring. (Joseph A. Wulfsohn/Fox News Digital)

Other sessions geared towards college students include "Make Your Campus Palestinian" to "amplify the voices of Palestinian students" and to effectively oppose "anti-Palestinianism." Another called "In Front of the Lens" trained them how to write press releases and address "tricky questions" from journalists like whether they "support terrorism" like Hamas. 

"I would say, ‘No, I do not support terrorism,’ and then I would go over the things that Israel does—I would say, ‘I do not support the eviction of innocent Palestinians, I do not support the shooting of Palestinian children,'" one participant responded. "You don’t want them to put you on the defensive. You have to put them on the defensive." 

There was also a session called "Bringing Activism to Professionalism" which taught students how they could integrate "Palestinian activism into their craft." 

Anti-Israel protesters disrupt the 98th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, U.S., November 28, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)