As universities across the country are colonized (or decolonized, depending who you ask) by tent-cities of anti-Israel protesters, Stanford has rekindled its “sit-in to stop genocide.”
The sit-in 2.0, a tent city in Stanford’s White Plaza, is about 500 feet closer to Stanford’s Main Quad and has been subject to more disciplinary force by administrators who have likely lost their patience with protesters, with names of student protesters referred to the Office of Community Standards. Also new is the sit-in’s explicit connection with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a pro-China, pro-Syria, self-described Marxist-Leninist organization.
On the sit-in’s Instagram account, five posts, including both infographics and videos, are posted jointly with the Bay Area chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Jointly-posted Instagram content necessitates that both parties agree to “collab” on the post.
One jointly-posted video between PSL Bay Area and Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine posted on April 27 follows a keffiyeh-wearing woman tour the sit-in. “The vibes in here are amazing today,” she says, after welcoming us to the “People’s University.” This video’s caption reads “Anyone can join the encampment! Come by and pitch your tent and learn from these incredible students. All eyes on Palestine. Until liberation.” However, Stanford’s campus policies prohibit overnight camping, especially for off-campus visitors.
After police officers went to the sit-in to issue a letter from Stanford’s administration telling students that they may be subject to disciplinary action at 8:15pm on Thursday, April 25, the PSL Bay Area account and the Sit-In to Stop Genocide posted a video: “ALL OUT TO STANFORD!”
Liberation, the official newspaper of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, has issued statements supporting Russia’s annexation of Crimea, opposing Hong Kong’s 2019 pro-democracy protests, denying that rape was used as a weapon of war on October 7, supporting Bashar Al-Assad in his bloody civil war, and flyering in favor of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Bay Area chapter has also promoted protests blocking traffic on I-880 in Oakland, with drivers stuck on the freeway for up to five hours in a form of civil terrorism, as well as sit-ins at other Bay Area colleges and universities.
The newest Revolution—joining the ranks of Mao’s and Castro’s—features keffiyeh-wearing service dogs, film screenings, and “people’s tribunals” against Stanford University.
As the sit-in 2.0 has commenced, with ongoing advertisements from and collaboration with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a peace-loving tone has shifted to one of revolution. Maybe the revolution will end when admit weekend does, or when Stanford students face Office of Community Standards-sanctioned punishment. But, in the meantime, Stanford students and administration must be wary of masked Marxist visitors who have come in to make our campus a revolutionary training ground.
