San Jose, CA – On January 29, 30 San Jose State University students gathered in front of Clark Hall to protest Trump’s military escalations in Venezuela, threats to invade Iran, the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and the university’s ties to the war industry.
The protest was called by the San Jose chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) as part of their Week of Action, in which they held an anti-ICE protest and an anti-war protest on consecutive days.
The primary slogan of the action was “No More Forever Wars,” to oppose any new wars being threatened by the Trump administration. Common chants included “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air, U.S. out of everywhere” and “No more blood for oil, hands off foreign soil.”
Megan Sweet, political organizing chair of SJSU SDS, addressed the university’s ties with war profiteers. “I really want to emphasize how SJSU is complicit in this. I want to emphasize that they have ties to Lockheed Martin – a prominent war manufacturer that profits off wars across the globe.”
Ethan Pham, member of San Jose Against War, highlighted the connection between foreign and domestic repression. “Human rights organizations and United Nations special rapporteurs have documented how military doctrines developed in foreign occupations, especially counter-terrorism frameworks, are transferred into domestic policing and immigration enforcement.”
Haddy Barghouti, board member of Students for Justice in Palestine at SJSU stated, “ICE trains with Israeli forces. Police train with the same militarized tactics used in occupied territories. U.S. weapons and political support enable death abroad, while federal enforcement uses that power here at home.”
Finn Albano, organizer with The League of Filipino Students at SJSU, brought attention to U.S. intervention in the Philippines. “The U.S. is giving $2.5 billion to the Philippines military, so that it can try to crush the Filipino people’s aspiration for freedom and sovereignty through violence.”
John Duroyan, president of SJSU SDS, ended with closing remarks. “We want to remind admin that we’re not going to stop until you fully disclose your investments in the Tower Foundation,” and “until you fully sever ties with butchers like Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics.”