Vigil for Brown student shot in Vermont becomes protest over University complicity in anti-Palestinian violence

Brown funds the hate that made this possible, said students.

“Although we don't know the details yet, it is horrific that the mere fact that Hisham and his friends were simply being who they are, proud Palestinians wearing keffiyehs, speaking in Arabic - may be what prompted the shooting,” said Brown University President Christina Paxson at Monday’s vigil for student Hisham Awartani, who was shot with two other students in Vermont over the weekend in what is being investigated as a possible hate crime. “Sadly,” continued President Paxson, “we can't control what happens around the world and across the country. We're powerless to do everything we like to do, but there's so much that we are doing...”

Then the floodgates of protest opened as hundreds of students, the vast majority of those present, began to chant, “Divest! Divest! Divest!”

President Paxson appeared to be surprised by the protest. “We are having a vigil for your friend, our friend, our student!” she exclaimed.

The students continued to chant, “Divest! Divest! Divest! Our friend says divest! Free Palestine!”

“Let me tell how I was going to end this,” said President Paxson, grabbing a pause in the chanting. “I was going to say, that at a faculty meeting last month, I said that every student, faculty, and staff member should be able to proudly don a keffiyeh on the Brown campus or cover their head with a hijab... and that Brown is a strong and loving community…”

“Brown divest! Brown divest! Brown divest! Brown divest! Brown divest!” came the reply, “Shame! Shame! Shame!”

A banner was dropped from the building behind President Paxson that read, “Brown Invests in the Palestinian Genocide.”

“This is from the same playbook that the white supremacists did to my ancestors during the civil rights era,” said a student not too far from me.

“Shame! Shame!” continued the students.

“Can we continue the vigil for Hisham please now?” said President Paxson, clearly frustrated. “I'm hearing you. I would like to continue our peaceful...

“Shame! Shame!” interrupted the students. “We are being peaceful! Shame on you! Shame!”

President Paxson gave up and turned the microphone over to Beshara Doumani, Professor of Palestinian Studies.¹²

[For more on Brown and Divestment, see: Build This World from Love: Five weeks and four decades of anti-apartheid student organizing]

It’s hard to believe that President Paxson could have been caught so off guard by the protest. Perhaps she believed that dropping the charges against the 20 students from BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now who occupied University Hall on November 8 would buy her some grace. The students were set to be arraigned the next morning, but the city dropped all charges at the request of the university, according to the Brown Daily Herald, which quoted President Paxson as saying that the shooting of the students over the weekend factored into her decision. “My hope is it will help refocus attention on issues that are important to us as a community” instead of being “distracted by other things that are divisive,” said President Paxson.

Hours before the vigil, Brown announced that “[r]eporters are not permitted to film or conduct interviews on campus.” Ostensibly to protect the privacy of students grieving their friend’s assault, it also seems likely that the attempted press blackout was done to spare President Paxson's embarrassment.

“That's not what I was expecting,” said Professor of Palestinian Studies Beshara Doumani as he took the microphone. “But I suppose that's part of the proud Brown tradition of making all voices heard. I do think that President Paxson came out here with good will to say what she wanted to say, but I also know that members of this community have made their voices heard for many years [and] that has not led to the results that [the community] needs and that this country needs. But we can have that conversation later.

Professor Doumani had spent some time with the three students who were shot, Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ahmad, and Kinnan Abdalhamid over the weekend. He read a text from Hisham to those attending the vigil.

"I would like to start out by saying that I greatly appreciate all the love and prayers being sent my way. Who knew that all I had to do to become famous was to get shot? On a more serious note, it's important to recognize that this is part of the larger story. This hideous crime did not happen in a vacuum. I said about a month ago that Palestinians cannot afford to hold vigils every time this happens.

"And as much as I appreciate the love from every single one of you here today, I am but one casualty in this much wider conflict. Had I been shot in the West Bank where I grew up, the medical services which saved my life here would likely have been withheld by the Israeli Army. The soldier who would've shot me would go home and never be convicted. I understand that the pain is so much more real and immediate because many of you know me, but any attack like this is horrific, be it here or in Palestine.

"This is why when you send your wishes and light your candles for me today, your mind should not just be focused on me as an individual but rather as a proud member of the people being oppressed."

“He could have said more,” noted Doumani. “In fact, he said a lot more during our conversation this morning, but Hisham, as you all know, did not need to say the following. I'll say it for him:

“He will continue the struggle and all Palestinians will continue the struggle until they can live in freedom, dignity, and equality. When I first talked to him in the first five minutes or so I was doing et cetera, he said, 'ana samid - ‘I am steadfast.’

“When I asked him what he'd like, anything we could do, he mentioned several things, none of which had to do with him. Again, this is not surprising for those of you who know Hashem. He cares a lot about others and his spirit should motivate us all to care about each other as well. We want to have a big party when he gets here... He wants to start next semester on time.

“I have to say that ... this university is committed to doing everything it can for Hashem and to continue the struggle that he and the students beforehand started, which is, as you say, divest.”

Students: CHEERS

Beshara Doumani: As he knows, this is a long-term struggle. Divestment is a means towards something. It's not an end in itself. He is the sixth or seventh generation of Palestinians. I know his family, his great-uncle, and others from his family and they have all lived through their own experiences of pain and struggle all these years. Hashem continues in that tradition. I think it's possible to pay our respects to Hashem by continuing to stand for what he stands for.

Crowd: CHEERS

Beshara Doumani: No matter how difficult the last seven weeks were, there was a space on this campus, a space that, as imperfect as it was, allowed us to come together in a beautiful spiritual moment not long ago when he stood on the other side of the University Hall and sang songs as 20 students were arrested.

Crowd: CHEERS

Beshara Doumani: Those students are here with us today and they will continue their work.

Crowd: CHEERS

Beshara Doumani: If we can't do this kind of work here, where can we do it? As difficult as it is for this university and this administration to navigate the course during these terrible times, I think we owe it to each other to find ways to do this in the most effective way possible that respects the core values that we believe this institution should stand for.

There were student speakers as well. The students who were arrested on November 8 proudly stood before the vigil holding signs. Here are excerpts from one of Hisham’s friends, who went to high school with him in Ramallah.

“Good evening guys. We are beloved friends and classmates of Hisham Awartani, a student at Brown and a proud Palestinian. I'm going to read a few words about Hisham. We have, in the past two days, been in phone calls with him and meeting in communion as Palestinians, as Arab students, and as proud anti-Zionist members of this community, I want you to know about the three students in total who were shot in the hate crime.

Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ahmad are my beloved friends and classmates. We went to the Ramallah Friends Quaker school in the West Bank of Palestine where we learned and grew together. Hisham and I were both accepted as part of Brown University's Class of 2021. Hisham and I spent the August before the fall semester in Vermont with his family and grandmother where we hiked, swam, and explored the beautiful woods. Hisham and I grew close as friends as our time at this university progressed. We lived together in our sophomore year and coordinated our trips to and from Palestine, made a tiring journey by the occupation.

“There are a few things I would like you to know about Hisham. One, he's the brightest person I know, earning the reputation of a math genius in our high school... He's also a philosopher of that nature too...

“About a month ago, at a vigil many of you guys were at for the thousands of Palestinians killed in Israel's genocidal, indiscriminate bombing campaign in Gaza, probably one of the most memorable moments is when Hisham came up and said if Palestinians had to hold vigils every time our people were massacred, we'd be bankrupt from buying candles.”

“There's no respite for us. Here we are a month later, lighting candles and coming together in community for a Palestinian who was seriously injured in what amounts to a hate crime.

“The survivors of this violence could have been killed. We are neither safe in Palestine, nor are we safe here either. What happened to my friends was not an isolated incident and occurred as a result of decades of occupation, violence, and dehumanization towards Palestinians like ourselves. I want to let you know that in many of the meetings Hisham and I had with the administration, Hashim disclosed that in May 2021... he was injured by a rubber bullet shot by the Israeli occupation in a protest in Ramallah. Not only was this insidious, genocidal, blood-thirsty Israeli soldier not tried for this, but the bullet most likely came from ... one of the companies we believe Brown is invested in.

“The heinous and hateful act that we saw this past weekend cannot be divorced from the over 14,000 Palestinians murdered in the past month endorsed by this country's refusal for a ceasefire.

“My family called me yesterday begging me to not wear a keffiyeh or speak Arabic in public, telling me you are not safe. I know we are not safe. Hashem and I, alongside other Palestinians, met with the Brown administration in the weeks following October 7th, stating our fear for our lives in a college environment that did not recognize us as Palestinians in its initial statement following October 7th. Moreover, other universities across the country as well as institutions of higher education, in their affirmed, continuous support of one side in this war and occupation, and amplifying hateful anti-Palestinian hardline rhetoric, has made them complicit, almost as much as US leaders have been, in espousing such hate against us in these meetings. Hashem's previous concerns of being protected should any physical harm happen to us fell on the deaf ears of university administrators and instead, of an offer of support, we were met with the statement that Brown does not offer running political commentary.

“President Paxson said our community should come together to condemn anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian discrimination, acts of violence, and hate, and express care and empathy for one another. Yet, for weeks, President Paxson has heard our direct appeals and collective calls from over 2000 community members to protect its Palestinian students and their co-strugglers, join the call for a permanent ceasefire, and divest the endowment from companies profiting from the violence, yet we are yet to hear an answer from the administration. We insist in the most urgent possible terms that the way for Brown to condemn anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian violence is to stop profiting from the violence against Palestinians.

“[Brown] is [complicit] in the attempted murder of Hisham, Kinnan, and Tahseen. And you guys know the students who signed the statement doubling down and supporting Israel and censoring us. Brown cannot purport nor support its claim to care about Palestinian students while they are here at Brown, but invest in the genocide of our people back home. One of our classmates has been shot.

“What will it take for Brown to respond?”

After the vigil ended, students gravitated to University Hall, where President Paxson had her office, and continued to protest by calling for divestment and a free Palestine.

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1. President Paxson’s words from before she was interrupted:

“The news we received early on Sunday morning was heartbreaking and that three Palestinian college students, including one from Brown, had been shot in an irrational and hateful act of violence.

“Thankfully we learned not too long after that that Hisham [Awartani] and his friends - close high school classmates - will survive. I've heard from Vice President of Campus Life Eric Estes, who traveled yesterday with ard, to Burlington that Hisham wants nothing more than to get back to campus - back here - and do the normal things that college students do - attend classes, finish his junior year, the things he should, by rights, be doing right now, this week.

“Our collective responsibility in the coming weeks and months is to be there for Hisham and his family. I know that they will receive care and love from Hisham's friends, his professors, the staff, and the college and campus life, from our medical experts to the extent that that's needed and comfortable for his family. Hisham's family is our family and we will do all we can to support them as he recovers and comes back to Brown. So right now, as we wait to learn more from Hisham and his family about how we can help, one of the most meaningful things we can do is pray [and] hope for his full recovery. Many of you may know that Hisham and his friends attended Ramallah Friends School. This is a Quaker school in the West Bank, so silent prayer, which is practiced by the Quakers, seems especially appropriate right now. I'd like to ask you to join me in a minute of silent prayer and reflection for Hisham, his family, and his friends.

“I want to leave you with my hopes for this community. We can't come to terms with what happened from the broader events in Israel and Palestine that sadly we have been dealing with for decades and the drumbeat of news since that awful, horrible thing has been everybody in this community learning about the suffering and deaths of so many Palestinian civilians, many of their children, following on the heels of the horrific deaths and kidnappings of civilians in Israel.

“No one in this region has been left unscarred, and here in this country, and even sadly on this campus, we've seen an increase in hate against Palestinians and Muslims and Jews and others…”

2. President Paxson’s press release in response to the shooting:

Student victim of serious crime; being together as a community

Dear Brown Community,

We received the devastating news from the family this morning that one of our students was shot last night while in Vermont with friends for the Thanksgiving break. The family has permitted us to share that Hisham Awartani, a junior at Brown, remains hospitalized, and we were very relieved and grateful to learn that he is expected to survive his injuries.

Hisham’s family also permitted us to share the circumstances that Hisham is Palestinian Irish American and that he and his two friends may have been targeted because of their Arab ancestry and identity. His two friends also were shot, and police continued to investigate. I have been in touch with Hisham’s family, and members of Brown’s support staff have remained in close contact and are offering all the care that we can, including University personnel onsite in Burlington, Vermont.

There are not enough words to express the deep anguish I feel for Hisham, his parents and family members, and his friends. I know that this heinous and despicable act of violence - this latest evidence of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian discrimination and hate spiraling across this country and around the world - will leave many in our community deeply shaken. We know it will heighten concerns about personal safety and security for Palestinian and Arab members of our community.

I call on our community to come together to condemn anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian discrimination and acts of violence and hate and express care and empathy for one another. I have asked the University Chaplain’s Office to organize a campus vigil on Monday to bring our community together during this difficult time. Please join us on the Main Green for a Vigil for Peace and Healing at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow.

The families of Hisham and the other two student victims of the shooting have asked that no one make donations to fundraisers unless specifically organized by the families. We also agreed to share the families’ desire for privacy and space to provide their children with the support they need.

I know that I and many members of our community are feeling so many emotions at this moment - sadness, confusion, and anger - questioning how anyone would perpetrate such an act of violence. Over the past several weeks since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks and the Israel-Hamas war, so many of our students, faculty, and staff already have shared with me and other administrators their deep anxiety and fear about rising tensions and violence locally, globally, and around the world. As Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes shared earlier this month, a team of staff continues to ensure that members of our community are receiving the care they need.

We are prepared to offer ongoing support for those with concerns about their emotional and physical safety across identities, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We have members of our community who continue to struggle in significant and personal ways with the ongoing violence in Israel, Gaza, and across the Middle East, including some who are living daily in fear for the well-being of their families or loved ones.

Vice President Estes and Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity Sylvia Carey-Butler will follow up with the community in the coming days about the ways we continue to care for and support all members of our community. And please remember, if you or someone you know have a concern about threats to your safety, you should call the Department of Public Safety directly and immediately (401-863-4111).

I hope you’ll join me on the Main Green tomorrow to be in community together.

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson
President