Excerpts of remarks by Prince Aviunce Williams, BA ’25, at an April 5, 2024 rally in protest of the ongoing atrocities in Gaza. Some statements may be lacking context, these were not editorial choices but the result of the limited coverage of the event. Any incoherence should be attributed to the Record, not the speaker.
Williams: …everyday Americans and people around the world to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people because there is no Palestinian Liberation without the liberation of all poor and oppressed people throughout the world
Kojo Acheampong: come on!
Williams: so today the Harvard Coalition for Palestine is setting a new course. Creating a strategy, a campaign because we’re seeing momentum we’re anti-zionist Jewish students [Applause] (listing those in the coalition) all of us coming from different areas of life, but all understanding our love for humanity
Williams: Our respect of people’s right to self-determination, and to never accept genocide, mass murder, dispossession cuz settler colonialism doesn’t start or end in Israel-Palestine, we sit on indigenous land today
Audience member 1: right!
Audience member 2: [war cry]
Williams: we know settler colonial projects all throughout the world, and those same settler colonial projects are supporting the state of Israel and their genocide of the Palestinian people.
Williams: But we want justice today that’s right and we’re going to build a campaign on this campus that will reverberate around Boston, around the US, and around the world calling for
a free Palestine from The River To The
Sea.
Kojo said “come closer”
Acheampong: come on move
closer
Williams: before I introduce our first speaker…
Williams: it wasn’t until around 2019, 2020, I saw a lecture from a professor speaking at the University of Oregon uh the lecture was called: “What it Means to be Human,”
Williams: and it was a part of the lecture where the professor got up in front of the the students at University of Oregon and said “Palestinian lives matter” and it was it was met with thunderous applause and I was confused, I was confused cuz why was that controversial?
Why, why did that warrant such a a huge applause from an audience of college educated students that a group of people somewhere in the world mattered.
Why was that the case? Why did that warrant such a reaction? And then I see this same Professor try to get tenure at Harvard University and he’s denied,
Audience: Shame!!
Williams: and I see news outlets that actually matter like uh, democracy matters (presumably referring to Democracy Now!”) and Al Jazeera, and these other outlets and they’re saying that this professor was denied because he stands up for the people of Palestine.
Williams: Because he has sort of an Anti-Imperialist approach to US foreign policy.
Williams: and I look around I’m like wow!
Williams: This Professor denied at this University, now that I know what I know now, I know why he was denied tenure.
Williams: I know why that audience blew up, but if you look at that period where he spoke at University of Oregon, you look at today, the consciousness of people all across this country has a different posture.
Williams: look at Mark Lamont Hill, Mark Lamont Hill worked at CNN few years ago and he said “from the river to the Sea, Palestine will be free” at the United Nations and he was fired for it
Audience: Shame!!
Williams: now you have thousands of people all across this country, across the world from Boston to Beirut, (Applause) screaming, “from the river to the sea!”
Audience: from The River To The Sea!
Williams: Palestine will be free
Audience: Palestine will be free
Williams: from the River to the Sea
Audience: from The River To The Sea!
Williams: Palestine will be free
Audience: Palestine will be free
Williams: so without further Ado I’d like to welcome Dr Cornell West y’all…
Williams: the occupation doesn’t fall with just one organization
Acheampong: come on
Williams: the occupation falls through concerted efforts of organizations all across this country and all across the world who have a set strategy, who have campaigns, who endure and persevere
Williams: and once we start gaining momentum as we are now, we know what comes next
Acheampong: come on
Williams: repression all across this campus.
Audience: Shame!!
Williams: but I want to hit on a point about that repression, there’s several people in our coalition who are here today who are being targeted
Williams: targeted because they want an end occupation, they want an end to apartheid.
Williams: and the people who are attacking them are trying to publicly shame them for pushing for Palestinian liberation, but I want to be clear there is nothing to be ashamed of for fighting for Palestinian Liberation.
Acheampong: nothing!! come on!!
Williams: putting our Coalition members on a truck like there’s some pop stars
Acheampong: come on!! come on!!
Williams: at least be honest why you putting them on the truck
Acheampong: ah come on!!
Williams: you putting them on the truck because they want Liberation
Acheampong: that’s what it is come on
Williams: you putting them on the truck because they’re standing up for some oppressed people across the sea
Williams: you’re putting them on that truck because they’re on the right side of History
Acheampong: speak on It!! come on!!
Williams: but to talk about, to talk more about our role as students and divestment I have an afro member to come up here today, Kojo!!
Williams: don’t you cry
Audience: Gaza, Gaza don’t you cry!!
Williams: Palestine will never die!!
Audience: palestine will never die!!
Williams: Rafah, Rafah don’t you cry!!
Audience: Rafah, Rafah don’t you cry!!
Williams: Palestine will never die!!
Audience: palestine will never die!!
Williams: and we will free Palestine
Audience: we will free Palestine
Williams: within our lifetime!!
Audience: within our lifetime!!
Williams: and we want justice, you say “how?”
Audience: and we want justice, you say “how?”
Williams: End the siege of Gaza now
Audience: End the siege of Gaza
Williams: and we want justice, you say “how?”
Audience: and we want justice, you say “how?”
Williams: End the siege of Gaza now
Audience: End the siege of Gaza
Williams: free, free Palestine
Audience: free, free Palestine
Williams: free, free, free Palestine
Audience: free, free, free Palestine
Williams: free, free Palestine
Audience: free, free Palestine
Williams: free, free, free Palestine
Audience: free, free, free Palestine