The goal of this workshop is to develop a comparative perspective on the current mobilization in solidarity with Palestine by presenting and discussing ongoing research in Europe and beyond. Since October 7th, 2023, protests have spread worldwide for ceasefire and against Israeli violation of human rights, the killing of more than 40,000, and the destruction of the Gaza Strip. The movement against the war and in solidarity with Palestine has been transnational in nature, with repertoires of action and collective frames diffusing cross-nationally.

Just like in the case of Black Lives Matter, activists are not only adopting contentious performances and language cross-nationally but are also re-contextualizing them, connecting the question of Palestine to homegrown issues of racism, particularly anti-Muslim racism, colonialism, and exclusion. In many Western countries, state repression has been coupled with “moral panics” against the Palestine solidarity movement for alleged antisemitism.

In looking at these waves of protests, we aim to:

• • Identify civil society actors, their organizational model, repertoires of action, and discursive framings.
  • Compare varying political and cultural opportunities at the national and transnational levels that enable or hinder these movements.
  • Investigate the influence of these protests on democracy between repression and resistance.

The Program

Thursday 28

14:00 – 15:00

Opening Session and Keynote: Donatella della Porta (SNS): The Contentious Politics of Solidarity the Movement with Palestine. Chair: Martin Portos (SNS) / Discussant: Leandros Fischer (Aalborg University)

15:00 – 16:45 Panel 1: Silencing Solidarity: Repression of Support for Palestine– Discussant: Federica Stagni (SNS)

1. Sebastian Scheerer (Hamburg University): The Case of Germany: additional remarks
2. Anna Younes (KITLV/ Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies): On Antisemitism and Race in the Wake of a Genocide (Online)
3. Gianpaolo Baiocchi (NYU): Pro-Palestinian repression in the United States

16:45 – 17:15 Break

17:15 – 19:00 Panel 2: Protesting for Palestine: Racism, Resistance, and Shifting Frames in Europe”

Discussant: Ghadir Abu Middain (SNS)

1. Donatella della Porta (SNS), Martin Portos (SNS), Laura Mendoza (SNS), Federica Stagni (SNS): ‘Free Palestine!’: Protesting the Israel’s war on Gaza
2. Aaron Winter (Lancaster University): Racism, reactionary politics the response to pro-Palestinian protest in the UK
3. Leandros Fischer (Aalborg University): Protesting for Palestine in Germany: The Radical Potential and the Limits of Decoloniality

Friday 29

9:00 – 10:00 Keynote: Eric Fassin (LEGS, CNRS / Paris-8 / Paris-Ouest): From Islamo-Leftism to Anti-Semitism State Anti-Intellectualism in France. Chair: Donatella della Porta; Discussant: Mounia Bennani-Chraïbi (University of Lausanne)

10:00 – 10:30: Statements

10:30 – 12:30 March- General Strike (Optional)

14:00 – 15:45 Panel 4: Uniting for Palestine: Collective Action and Solidarity

Discussant: Maria Nicola Stragapede (SNS)

1. Donatella della Porta (SNS), Federica Stagni (SNS): Waving coalition in action: How pro-Palestinian protests created a momentum
2. Jannis Grimm (FU Berlin), Lilian Mauthofer (FU Berlin), Thaddäa Sixta, Elias Steinhilper (FU Berlin) (hybrid): The Contentious Politics of Palestine and Israel Solidarity in Germany
3. Charlotte Rose (Independent Activist Scholar) & Sigrid Corry (LSE): Interrupting circulations: The politics of infrastructure in contemporary mobilizations for Palestine

15:45 – 16:15 Break

16:15 – 17:45 Panel 5 Perspectives on Pro-Palestine Advocacy: Sociology and Storytelling

Discussant: Jannis Grimm (FU)

1. Harshit Singh (Aalborg University) & Camilla Flores (Aalborg University): Far From Gaza (20 Minutes Documentary)
2. Mounia Bennani-Chraïbi (University of Lausanne): An occupation for Palestine: Paradoxical Effects of Negotiations with University Authorities in Lausanne (May 2024)
3. Giulia Daniele (Iscte – Lisboa): Stop genocide and ecocide from Gaza to the world: Connecting students’ protests and encampments in Portugal

17:45 – 18:00 Break

18:00 – 19:30 Panel Six: The Path Ahead – Chair: Stella Christou (SNS)

1. Federico Alagna (SNS) – The pro-Palestinian movement and the law: Legal repression and legal mobilisation after the 7 October attack
2. Marco Antonelli (SNS) – Port Workers Mobilizations in Contentious Mobilizations. Building Solidarity actions for peace.
3. Laila Sit Aboha (SNS) – Opposing the War Economy: Lessons from Italy’s Grassroots Trade Unions and the Palestine Solidarity Movement
4. Gomer Betancor (UNED- Madrid) & Martín Portos (SNS). Going beyond peace movements: alliance building in Madrid’s pro-Palestine student camp