– Zaina Aman
1 May 2024: In response to widespread students protests, the administration of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has cancelled an event featuring the United States ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti. The event, organized by the School of International Studies, was intended to focus on US-India relations.
The decision to invite Ambassador Garcetti sparked outrage among students, who objected to the US government’s support for Israel amidst ongoing violence in Gaza. The JNU Students Union led a protest against the invitation, denouncing US involvement in what they termed it as the “Gaza genocide” and calling for resistance against the “US imperialist forces.”
In a statement posted on social media, JNUSU vice president Avijit Ghosh declared, “Not an inch for the genociders at JNU Campus,” expressing solidarity with Palestinians fighting against Israeli occupation and US imperialism.
The cancellation came after the JNUSU, representing the student body, declared that JNU’s premises would not provide a platform for administrations and personnel representing nations complicit in terrorism and genocide committed by Israel. The students body emphasized that the decision to invite Ambassador Garcetti contradicted the values of justice, human rights, and solidarity that JNU upholds.
According to the JNUSU statement, the move to welcome the US ambassador onto campus was seen as particularly insensitive, given the US government’s treatment of its own university students protesting against its involvement in genocide.
