NAMED NATIONAL FOUR-YEAR DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR FOR 2020-21 IN THE COLLEGE MEDIA ASSOCIATIONâS PINNACLE AWARDS
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Volume 158 No. 23
Protesters call out Rep. Ro Khanna Santa Clara County leader faces controversy on actions involving Palestine By DâNetrus Chevis-Rose & Bojana Cvijic STAFF WRITER & NEWS EDITOR
Local advocacy groups organized a march Friday outside of Rep. Ro Khannaâs office in Santa Clara to protest Khannaâs alleged lack of support for the people of Palestine. Khanna represents the 17th Congressional District of California, which includes some cities in Santa Clara and Alameda counties, according to his website. About 10 people attended the march, which was organized by members of advocacy groups Human Empowerment and Radical Optimism (HERO) Tent, Party For Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and United Against War and Militarism. The goal of Fridayâs event was to raise awareness and push people to be âmore involvedâ in the protest against Khannaâs âcontradictory actionsâ toward anti-war efforts in Palestine, according to the event flier posted on the HERO Tent Instagram account. Dayton Andrews, United Against War and Militarism organizer, helped facilitate the protest in solidarity with the people of Palestine. âWe came out here today, brought some handouts, some signs, invited folks to come out and we gave speeches hoping to publicize and really encourage people to get involved,â Andrews said. Participants protested against Khanna for allegedly claiming to be âanti-war progressiveâ, but simultaneously participating in endorsements against Palestinian people. Nancy Robles, Party for Socialism and Liberation organizer, marched
PHOTOS BY AI BLY | SPARTAN DAILY
Above: Protesters march outside Santa Clara County Rep. Ro Khannaâs oïŹce on De La Cruz Boulevard in Santa Clara, about ten minutes north of SJSUâs campus, on Friday. Bottom left: Protester Katie Latimer holds a sign during a demonstration on the street outside Khannaâs oïŹce.
with protesters around Khannaâs office building, saying Khanna âmaintains a progressive stance in American politics to support Palestine.â After an attempt to open the locked front entrance of Khannaâs office building by tugging at the door handle, Robles and protesters continued to express their personal reasons for marching. âIâm an immigrant and so Iâm fully aware of the displacement and
destabilization that the United States government does on other countries,â Robles said. âIn Palestine, I can feel for them, and I think we need to be in solidarity with all oppressed people in the world.â Khanna has described himself as âprogressivecapitalistâ and has taken âprogressive stancesâ on climate change and the economy, according to a May 16, 2019 Fox Business article.
Robles said she believes Khanna has appeared publicly to make himself appear progressive, but doesnât actually do âanything substantial.â âHe did this pathetic little press release where he visited with two Palestinian girls, which is ridiculous because he supports the government that has displaced these women,â Andrews said. Khanna announced in a Feb. 17 Twitter post that he traveled to Palestine and spoke with students about international growth and an increased investment in Palestinian education and jobs
Sanctions movement Several protesters raised concerns about Khannaâs perceived lack of participation in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. âAnything else is like he canât support the [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement], he canât do that to Israel because Israel is a business partner,â Robles said. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions [BDS] movement promotes the boycotting of Israeli-produced goods, divestment from the Israeli economy, and government sanctions on Israel to force Israel to comply with international law and cease its oppression of Palestinians, according to the BDS website.
He did this pathetic little press release where he visited with two Palestinian girls, which is ridiculous because he supports the government that has displaced these women. Dayton Andrews United Against War and Militarism organizer
Khanna expressed his opposition towards the BDS movement in 2019 when he voted for House Resolution 246, which condemned the movement in a bipartisan majority according to congress voting records.
Legislation The absence of Khannaâs signature on a House of Representatives Bill (H.R.2590) was another one of the protestersâ main grievances during their speeches. The bill, named âDefending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act,â was introduced on April 15, 2021. The legislation would limit U.S. assistance to Israel, and prohibit the Israeli government from using U.S.-given funds in support of military detention or interrogation of children, according to the text of the bill. The Bill has approximately 32 co-sponsors excluding
Khanna, who signed the original child detention bill back in 2017, but has his name on the more recent and detailed version of the bill, according to a Feb. 11 Mondoweiss article. Noor Lazkani, Party of Socialism and Liberation (PSL) organizer, also said she wants Khanna to sign his name onto the H.R.2590 bill. âWe have a right to be here and make our demands, it puts more pressure, Khanna needs to listen to us,â Lazkani said. Lazkani led a chant, which protesters loudly recited through Khannaâs office building parking lot. âNot another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israeli crimes,â Lazkani said.
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