A group of Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith leaders gathered at Emory University’s campus Tuesday to echo calls from students for Georgia colleges to divest from Israel and stop violence against protesters.
“We are here on this rainy Tuesday morning because our faith compels us to be here,” said the Rev. Leo Seyij Allen, part of the Atlanta Multifaith Coalition for Palestine.
The speakers denounced action taken against protesters at Emory as well as other schools. Between Emory and the University of Georgia, more than three dozen people have been arrested related to protests over the last week. The speakers decried the use of force by police at Emory on Thursday and asked for the charges to be dropped against those who were arrested.
“What we see, Emory, is that you are a victim of your own success,” said the Rev. Keyanna Jones, who has also been active in efforts to stop the planned Atlanta public safety training center. “You taught students to speak for themselves, to think for themselves, to stand for justice. But the moment that they do it ‚you’re upset simply because it’s against Israel. We need to call a spade a spade here.”
They also called for Morehouse College to change its plans to bring President Joe Biden in as its commencement speaker and emphasized the demand that started the protests in metro Atlanta: for Emory to disclose any financial ties to Israel or the construction of the training center, and to divest from both efforts.
“I want to be clear: As long as Emory prefers brutalizing students over divesting from genocide and Cop City, we will continue in our actions,” said Daniella Hobbs, a PhD student in the Candler School of Theology.
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