Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) held a general body meeting on Jan. 28 to introduce the organization to students, outline activities and explain opportunities for involvement.

Hussein Chokr, SJP vice-president, led the meeting.

“The idea of the general body meeting was to essentially be more transparent to our community,” Chokr explained. “And perhaps introduce SJP to people who have never attended our events, and to expand our reach on campus.”

“The general body meeting was divided into three aspects,” Chokr said. “This includes events that we have done in the past, the campaigns that we’re currently doing and […] how we can get people to be more involved.”

The organization’s mandate and scope were described during the meeting.

“We are a group on campus that wants to advocate for Palestinian rights and to express solidarity with the Palestinian people,” he said. “But our role isn’t limited to that. We also advocate for different groups and racialized communities.”

Previous events organized by SJP include Night in Palestine, held in December 2025 and similar events such as the Palestine Gala in 2024.

Chokr said the previous events “had everything that you [could] ask for in a pavilion, [including] Palestinian food, culture, dances [and] a museum aspect.” He added, “We had performances by multiple talented performers within the pro-Palestine community, and we also had an Indigenous performance.”

The meeting highlighted the educational programming, particularly during the 2024 student encampment.

“The peak of the educational events happened during the 2024 encampment, where we collaborated with faculty members,” Chokr said. “They [gave] teachings regarding the economy, oppression and a lot of various topics.”

The campaign also discussed university investments.

“Thanks to the encampment back in 2024, the university has disclosed a lot of their investments,” Chokr stated. “A working group of students and faculty combed through all of the investments and found that there are some organizations or companies that are complicit in the genocide in Palestine.”

A new update about the club is that a lot of the current members will be graduating, which opens up opportunities for other students to fill their roles.

The evening concluded with representatives from SJP advising students to join the club. “Please be involved,” Chokr said. “The work for Palestinian solidarity and solidarity within the greater U of M community is still important.”

To learn more about SJP and to stay up to date with their events, find them on Instagram @sjpuofm.