7 wounded by occupation forces as Bir Zeit students march in memory of the martyr Comrade Saji Darwish

SYRIA 360°

The Progressive Democratic Student Pole at Bir Zeit University convened a rally of students on campus which traveled to Ofer Prison on Tuesday, March 10, commemorating the one-year anniversary of the slaying of Comrade Saji Darwish, a student at Bir Zeit University, by occupation forces.

Dozens of students were attacked by the Zionist occupation forces as they marched near Ofer, firing tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets at the students and wounding 7. One student, Bayan Safi, was arrested, beaten and detained for several hours by occupation forces.

Progressive Student Action Front in Gaza launches “1 Shekel Book” campaign

The Progressive Student Action Front at the Islamic University of Gaza launched the “1 Shekel Book Campaign” in response to the economic crisis being experienced by students in Gaza as a result of the ongoing Israeli siege.

Hundreds of students from all fields and levels of study are participating in the campaign’s services, especially after being faced with large increases in the prices of textbooks.

Comrade Haithem Abu Warda, the secretary of the Progressive Student Action Front at the Islamic University noted that many students cannot afford textbooks and must borrow books from their fellow students; the main objective of this campaign is to reduce the burden on students, he noted. Abu Warda noted that all students have benefitted from the campaign, of diverse political organizations and backgrounds.

The campaign has so far found an overwhelming response, particularly for the distribution of the book “Palestine Studies,” because of its relatively high cost; it is also required for most students at the university.

Previous campaigns have include free textbook initiatives and campaigns for free education for all. This campaign is part of the Front’s commitment to struggle for education for all and defend the rights of the popular classes to education.

In a separate context, Musa Ahmed, a student at the university urged that student elections be conducted according to the principle of proportional representation rather than individual lists, in order to produce a committed student union of high responsibility and to prevent a monopoly within the student union.