Social justice groups’ demonstration uses Storm the Wall to start dialogue on border walls

Solidarity for Palestinian for Human Rights (SPHR) UBC and the UBC Social Justice Centre (SJC) held a demonstration outside the Nest yesterday “in solidarity” with Storm the Wall.

Titled “Storm These Walls,” the event aimed to raise awareness about the presence of border walls around the world, such as the US-Mexico border wall and the Israeli border walls. In response, a group of students holding placards and wearing Israeli flags came out to show their support for Israel.

UBC Recreation, which organizes Storm the Wall, said that they had nothing to comment on regarding the demonstration.

“Certainly any student event that’s on campus or anything like that, we wouldn’t do anything to hinder their ability to speak or do anything, but we have no relationship with them in any way,” said Aaron Miu, senior manager for marketing and communications for UBC Recreation.

‘It separates villages, destroys homes…’

As students worked together to climb a fake wall a few yards away from her, third-year international relations (IR) student and event organizer Areeka Riaz held up a sign that juxtaposed an image of UBC students participating in Storm the Wall with images of individuals climbing over actual border walls.

“It’s chilling because the pictures are exactly the same,” she said.

She listed walls along the Israeli borders as well as the US-Mexico border as direct examples, but also expanded the term to include the building of fences along the construction sites of the Kinder Morgan pipeline.

“I’m likening those to walls because those fences are keeping out First Nations people, and they’re not okay with the pipeline,” Riaz said. “They don’t want it built, so we don’t have the right as settlers to build walls.”

Dalya Masri, another third-year IR student in SPHR, further discussed the effects of border walls upon individuals.

“Children have been climbing over walls ... just to see their families,” she said.

“Since I am Palestinian, I thought that this movement would be perfect to educate people in the sense of what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is actually like and show people one aspect of it.”

‘The reality that has saved lives’

Across from the SJC and SPHR’s demonstration, third-year kinesiology student Jake Reznik wore an Israeli flag like a cape and held up a sign reading “More hummus, less Hamas.” Along with a few other students, he came out in defence of Israel and the Israeli border walls.

“We are pro two-state,” he said. “All of us here, we are pro-peace. What are we against is anti-Semitism, and what we want to be clear [about] the wall is the reality that has saved lives.”

Reznik also criticized the SPHR for previously posting “vehemently anti-Semitic” material on their Facebook page. He then emphasized that his group was not protesting the SPHR and SJC’s event but simply exercising their right to free speech.

“They have free speech in every right to have their event, but we have just as equal speech and rights to show our side of Jewish history and the Jewish people and Israel,” Reznik said.

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