The SEIU has decided to inject itself into the Israel debate once again by issuing a statement supporting the protests against Israel currently happening across the country, specifically on college campuses.
Columbia University in New York has been a prime location for protesting students. Some of these protesters even barricaded themselves in one of the school buildings. Protesters chanted that Oct. 7th would happen “10,000 more times” and that Oct. 7th was “going to be every day for you.”
President Joe Biden condemned the “blatant antisemitism” as reprehensible and dangerous. The events at Columbia finally ended when students blocked off a school building with metal gates, tables, and chairs before eventually being arrested in a full scale NYPD raid.
At UCLA, over one hundred protesters were arrested at an anti-Israel encampment following an hours-long confrontation. Before the final confrontation, UCLA was forced to cancel classes as violence erupted at the encampment between police and protesters donning “helmets, masks and goggles.” When the area was finally cleared, heaps of trash could be seen piled up across the former home of the anti-Israel encampment.
If the events described sound unlike anything related to the free speech being described in the SEIU’s X post, you would be correct.
While the SEIU national X account – formerly Twitter – has been standing up for these aggressive protesters, the union’s locals have also been actively holding anti-Israel protests around the country.
SEIU 2015 was seen on May 1, 2024, marching to the San Francisco City Hall with Palestinian flags in hand. Reports also indicated that SEIU Local 87 was planning on marching for Palestine the same day.
Meanwhile, high-profile SEIU Campaign Director Larry Alcoff – whose controversial history was explored by the Washington Free Beacon – has seemingly continued to attend anti-Israel protests, even posting a sign on Facebook that read, “Zionism is anti-Semitism.” Alcoff’s son – who has appeared at the same protests – currently boasts an X account that reads “Death to Zionism.”
These are not the first instances of anti-Israel activity within the SEIU. Since the terror attack in Israel took place on Oct. 7, 2023, the union has been embroiled in multiple controversies related to the issue.
The union was forced to save face by firing its Connecticut executive director’s for claiming “our enemies are not in Gaza, our comrades are in Gaza.” The firing came just days after SEIU President Mary Kay Henry issued a poorly worded statement that failed to mention the deaths of over one thousand Israelis.
In Nov. 2023, SEIU employees even went as far as to organize a group titled, “Purple Up 4 Palestine.” This group was composed of over 500 SEIU officers and employees who openly supported the anti-semitic boycott, divestment, and sanction movement (BDS) against Israel.
When looking at the union’s actions over the last six months, it’s no surprise they seem to be supporting the unruly campus protests that have included antisemitism, violent behavior, and have left the areas harboring these encampments absolutely trashed.
