PSS Leads Campus Movement in Solidarity with Palestinian People’s Plight

In the face of genocide, I don’t think there is still a need for nuancing

If only signs could speak, these words from the Political Science Society (PSS) re-echoed the palpable spirit of IITians in solidarity of condemning war crimes of Israel against the Palestinian people through a signatory booth and solidarity stand, launched on October 24, 2023, at the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) old building lobby.

This is after PSS’ statement on the Palestinian genocide made a buzz online, gaining traction not just within the college but even outside the institute. Joined by a number of students coming from different colleges, what was supposed to be simply an assembly became a walk for a cause— rallying for the conflict’s oppressed.

In an interview with the society’s 4th-year representative, July Ann Marañon emphasized that this budding initiative may have been realized in the local landscape through “little ways”; however, it translates into “aggregate voices” that call on the government, for instance, to re-evaluate its position on the matter.

“The Mindanaon people should also empathize with what’s happening in Palestine because we have also witnessed several occupations. A lot of our indigenous people here in Mindanao were also displaced from their ancestral land,” she said, noting the similar fate the Palestinian people have been subject to for years.

On Taking A Stand

While the Political Science Society asserted in its pronouncement that condemnation spares no side, the organization also underscored that neutrality on the apparent genocide does more harm than good.

“Taking a stand on Palestine is not about being pro-Palestine, here we ascend more to be pro-humanity,” the PSS Prime Minister, Mark Shayvin Serrano stated.

Meanwhile, Karl Anthony Ong, a BA Sociology student who joined the event stated that taking a stance on issues especially those that violate and threaten not just the right to life but also international humanitarian laws, becomes salient and paramount. “Silence is and was never an option, it only favors the oppressor and never the oppressed,” he added.

On the other hand, Marañon also reiterated that despite the established collective statement from the society, the organization urges everyone to form their own informed opinion and to “not be silent”.

Inevitably met with opposition from people who shy away from the discussion as claimed to be highly nuanced, the society stood firm in its undertakings. After all, it’s no rocket science to be in tune with victims of atrocities.

"In the face of genocide, I don’t think there is still a need for nuancing," she stressed.