It’s October 7th again. Three years since the Hamas attack that killed roughly 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

And campuses across the country are marking the occasion in their own particular ways, like hosting speakers who openly support terror groups.

Let’s run through what’s happening.

UCLA: Bruin Plaza, Noon

UCLA’s Students for Justice in Palestine is holding a noon protest at Bruin Plaza to mark what the group calls “three years of escalated genocide in Palestine.” Their stated goal is to “recognize and uplift” Palestinian resistance.

The group’s announcement put it this way: “In the face of Zionist occupation and genocide, the Palestinian people have maintained discipline in their struggle toward liberation.” Translation: We’re marking a massacre, but we’re calling it “resistance.”

Last year’s version drew about 70 people marching with a coffin prop and chanting “Free Palestine,” “Intifada,” and “Israel is a terrorist state.” They also pushed a cart filled with red flowers and dropped paper poppies into the coffin.

A coffin. Red poppies. Intifada. On the anniversary of 1,200 people being slaughtered.

UCLA is currently facing a Department of Justice lawsuit alleging the university failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment, in violation of Title VI. The DOJ pointed specifically to the April 2024 encampment, alleging Jewish students were assaulted, excluded from parts of campus, and denied educational opportunities. Faculty members who continue to operate and perpetuate potentially harassing environments for Jewish and Zionist students, such as Nour Joudah, are still teaching.

So the school is being sued for letting this happen. And the response is… another protest. On the anniversary. At noon. In the most visible spot on campus.

The timing is not accidental. SJP chose this date deliberately.

Mohamed Abdou: The Tour That Keeps Going

Mohamed Abdou — the former Columbia professor who was fired after posting he was “with Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad” — is continuing his “Death to the Akademy” tour.

He spoke via Zoom to UC Berkeley students in a talk titled “1492: From Palestine to Turtle Island.” Tomorrow, on October 7th, he’s scheduled to appear before Claremont College students for a session called “Re-Igniting Student Organizing Against Settler-Colonial Amerika.”

Promotional materials promised he would “dive into organizing lessons from Gaza’s mujahideen.” The flyer also featured an inverted red triangle — a Hamas symbol used to mark Israeli targets — and a drawing of an RPG-armed terrorist. Berkeley SJP promoted it under the banner “Al Aqsa Flood Anniversary Talks,” which is Hamas’s name for October 7th.

UC Berkeley said it would not cancel the event “based on fears or expectations of what might be expressed.” A university spokesperson added that they “understand and regret how upsetting the event and the rhetoric will be for many members of the Jewish community.”

Abdou has also told NYU students to “be proud of your hate for America” and called it a “barbarous colony.”

So to recap: a guy who openly supports terror groups, uses Hamas iconography, and tells students to hate America is being hosted by multiple campuses. And the universities’ response is essentially “we don’t want to infringe on free expression.”

Rutgers University

Rutgers has a “Rally for Palestine” on the books, even though the university stripped SJP of its official status in 2024. The organization remains active in the area regardless.

The campus has been a repeated flashpoint. Anti-Israel graffiti has kept reappearing, and Jewish students have reported fearing to wear identifiable Jewish symbols on campus. Centers like the Center for Security, Race and Rights under Professor Sahar Aziz, and faculty like Hamid Abdeljaber, push radical and anti-Zionist narratives through their work.

After months of protests and what some described as an unsafe environment, students helped file a Title VI civil rights complaint against the university.

Rutgers SJP’s own social media posts from last year’s anniversary make their position clear: “We will not stop until a real, lasting solution is in place. One rooted in dignity, self-determination, and peace for all people from the river to the sea.”

“From the river to the sea” — a slogan that, whatever its defenders claim, is widely understood as calling for the elimination of Israel as a Jewish state.

Columbia University

Columbia University’s SJP is organizing a rally for October 7th that includes Arabic text stating “Glory to the martyrs, resistance until victory.” The group is promoting the event as marking “78+ years of resistance.”

“Glory to the martyrs.” That’s not a call for peace. That’s not a call for coexistence. That’s a celebration of people who killed civilians.

Columbia was the epicenter of the campus encampment movement in spring 2024, with faculty such as Barnard College’s Shayoni Mitra actively encouraging and supporting aggressive student protests, and the university has faced lasting criticism over its handling of antisemitism allegations since. Anti-Zionist student groups across New York City, including at Columbia and NYU, are planning walkouts that will culminate in a rally outside City Hall at 4 p.m.

Columbia’s SJP chapter was suspended in 2024 after distributing materials praising Hamas and the October 7th attack. The suspension apparently didn’t stick, because here we are.

Penn State and Other Campus Events

Penn State’s SJP is wrapping up its “Week of Action” with a 6 p.m. protest at the Allen Street Gates titled “End the Genocide for the Living, the Martyrs, and the Land.” The week also included a “Pick a Side” display and a film screening.

“Pick a Side.” That’s the name of the event. Because nothing says “we’re open to dialogue” like demanding everyone choose a side.

Rowan University is holding a vigil called “1,097 Days of Genocide.” According to the Jewish Community Voice, organizers plan to “honor the ‘martyrs’ who committed the atrocities in Israel on October 7.”

So they’re calling the October 7th attackers “martyrs.” On the anniversary of the attack. While calling it a genocide. The logic here is… something.

Swarthmore’s SJP — which lost official recognition in 2025 — reposted a video showing an effigy of an Israeli soldier being set on fire, promoting a rally at Rittenhouse Square. The video included the words “Long live Al-Aqsa Flood.”

An effigy. On fire. With a Hamas slogan. And this is from a group that supposedly just cares about Palestinian human rights.

The Bigger Picture

For Jewish students, October 7th is a day of grief. For SJP chapters, it’s a day for marches, “martyrs,” and RPG-themed promotional materials.

Both things are happening tomorrow. That’s the reality of American campuses in 2026.