BSP & VFP Against Genocidal Recruitment
By Binghamton Solidarity for Palestine — September 5, 2024
On September 5, 2024 Binghamton Solidarity for Palestine in collaboration with Veterans for Peace joined forces at the Science, Research, Engineering and Technology Job & Internship Fair to spread awareness regarding the large number of recruiters for Military Industrial Complex (MIC) and MIC-adjacent corporations. We had BSP and VFP members out in front of the Binghamton University Union building as well as inside and at various points outside of the doors to the hall for the Career Fair event. We had banners and signs — primarily being held outside — as well as informational mini-flyers — primarily being given to those entering/exiting the career fair.
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A BSP member who was inside of the Career Fair was pressured to leave, but fortunately the overall BU police interference was minimal. The information our material focused on was primarily centered on awareness of the war profiteers present. We explicitly focused on the nature of companies trying to recruit young college students and ram them through the school-to-MIC pipeline that BU is particularly fond of.
We gathered because it is vital that we take a stand against imperialism, zionism, and genocide. This includes spreading knowledge of the atrocities committed by Israel and the United States to those who would refuse to participate and be complicit in these acts. With over 40,000 dead since October 7th, 2023 we must act. At Binghamton University we must do our part by taking a stand against the genocide being carried out in Gaza and the West Bank, characterized by the killing, occupation and forced displacement of Palestinians that has taken place for over 76 years.
Over the 4 hour duration of the career fair, we were seen by a very high number of students. This action allowed us to have many great conversations with students attending the Career Fair, and distributed mini-fliers to many many more. A number of students expressed appreciation of our efforts and were in agreement that this was important to know. Students said they were going to use the list of company logos on our flier to know which companies to either do more research on or avoid altogether. Hundreds of students took our fliers, saw our signs, and heard our message.
Those who hear us will join this cause until we force Binghamton University and the SUNY system into total divestment from the zionist colonial project. SUNY divested from South Africa during apartheid, and they will divest again if we do not yield; and we will not yield.
