A lawsuit was recently filed by seven Israeli victims of the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023, alleging that American groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine are serving as a propaganda front for Hamas. The complaint, filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia, claims that the AJP Educational Foundation, Inc. (American Muslims for Palestine) and its offshoot, National Students for Justice in Palestine, are providing “material support” to Hamas through their advocacy activities. The plaintiffs, who are survivors and relatives of the attack victims, are seeking damages for the pain and suffering caused by these groups’ alleged support for terrorism.
Students for Justice in Palestine distributed a “toolkit” to activists in the United States, celebrating the October 7 attack and promoting the end of the Jewish state. The lawsuit highlights this toolkit as evidence of a coordinated effort by these groups to support Hamas’s goals by undermining support for Israel’s self-defense.
The complaint also points to a history of terror financing for Hamas in the U.S. and alleges that AMP is a continuation of past organizations with the same objectives. The groups’ messaging to college campuses justifies violent attacks against Zionism, Israel, and Zionists, creating an environment where violence against Jews and supporters of Israel is normalized.
The lawsuit connects these groups to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and their calls to action. It also mentions the encampment movement on university campuses as part of Hamas’s propaganda efforts.
Anticipating a First Amendment defense, the complaint clarifies that the issue is not political speech but the material support of terrorism and propaganda in the U.S. The case is titled “Parizer, et al. v. AJP Educational Foundation, et al.” in the Eastern District of Virginia.
