The pro-Palestine campus protest movement in the US, which was thought to have lost momentum over the past year due to campaigns, pressure and fatigue, proved its long-term success with a series of election victories.
Activist Darializa Avila Chevalier, who participated in the 2024 Palestine actions at Columbia University in New York, won the Democratic Party primary against an opponent who had held the seat for five terms. Avila Chevalier's victory was just one of a string of successes by pro-Palestine candidates in New York last week.
Maryam Alwan, a leading figure in the Columbia protests, said, “It is very satisfying to feel that the tide is finally turning.” Alwan noted that public opinion is now more aligned with the protesters' demands and that the ripple effects of the campus occupations two years ago are only now starting to be seen.
Following the success of Zohran Mamdani, who was elected New York City mayor last year with the help of young pro-Palestine activists, Melat Kiros on Tuesday overturned an incumbent who had been in Congress for nearly 30 years. Kiros was dismissed from her law firm in 2023 over a letter protecting advocates of Palestinian rights from accusations of antisemitism. Candidates backed by Palestinian rights supporters also won key races in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Avila Chevalier's victory is particularly striking in the context of the long-term impact of the student protests. The Columbia University campus was the site of the first occupation action by students against Israel's genocidal war, in response to the devastation in Gaza, and the movement quickly spread nationwide. Dozens of tent cities were set up on campuses, and students demanded that their universities divest from Israeli companies and arms manufacturers.
Hundreds of students were detained in the security forces' crackdown, many faced academic disciplinary investigations, and politicians from both major parties labeled the movement “antisemitic.” The Trump administration also attempted to deport non-US citizen student activists. The dispersal of the protests and the activists' defensive posture to protect their reputations, security, and freedoms gave the impression that the pro-Israel side had suppressed the student movement.
But according to activists, the story is not over. Cameron Jones, who participated in the Columbia actions, said that Avila Chevalier always supported young activists and did not hesitate to defend Palestinian rights even when it was not popular. Jones said, “It is truly inspiring to see that despite facing enormous pressure and organizing in a hostile environment, people power could overcome all the obstacles set by the federal government, Columbia, and the media.”
Heba Gowayed, a sociology professor at the City University of New York (CUNY), stressed to Al Jazeera that the recent election victories would not have been possible without the 2024 student protests. Gowayed pointed out that social movements are often seen as defeated when students are dispersed, expelled, and the university does not divest, adding, “But here is the victory of Darializa, Mamdani, and the entire socialist slate. If those students had not occupied the campus, this would not have happened.”
