Arturo Alvarez

Overview

Arturo Alvarez expressed support for Ahmad Daraldik, a student embroiled in an anti-Semitism controversy, in June 2020. Alvarez and Daraldik were both activists with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Florida State University (FSU) in 2019 and 2020.

As of July 2021, Alvarez’s LinkedIn page said he received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Affairs from FSU in 2020. His LinkedIn page also said he was a “political advisor” in Florida for the Sunrise Movement from July 2019 to May 2020.

Alvarez served as the Treasurer of the executive board of the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity at FSU during the 2019-2020 academic year.

A September 23, 2019 Instagram post indicated that Alvazrez planned to attend Law School at American University. A December 2019 Instagram post indicated that Arturo was going to “start studying for LSAT next semester.”

As of July 2021, Alvarez indicated on his Instagram bio that he was located in “Broward - Tally” and went by the name “mindfulwalkings” on Instagram.

FSU SJP - Defending FSU SJP Activist Embroiled in Anti-Semitism Controversy

In the summer of 2020, Alvarez expressed support for FSU SJP member Ahmad Daraldik, who reportedly spread anti-Semitism online and created a website in 2016 that compared Israel to Nazi Germany.

On June 11, 2020, Alvarez shared a Facebook post in support of Daraldik and wrote: “#ImWithAhmad.” Alvarez also responded to a comment that referred to Daraldik as a “king,” writing “yes indeed.”

Alvarez signed a June 2020 FSU SJP statement defending Daraldik.On June 12, 2020, FSU SJP shared a statement on Facebook defending SJP activist Ahmad Daraldik following calls for his removal as FSU Student Senate President, after it was discovered that Daraldik shared anti-Semitic content on social media.

Daraldik, who was appointed Student Senate President at FSU in June 2020, faced calls for his removal when his social media posts and website were publicized. Daraldik retained his position after a vote by student senators at FSU.

Daraldik had assumed the presidency of the student senate on June 6, 2020 after presiding over an inappropriate student senate vote of no-confidence against fellow student Jack Denton, who was then Senate Student President.

The FSU SJP statement claimed that the calls for Daraldik to be removed as Senate President were “racially and politically motivated to smear and silence Palestinian students and critics of the state of Israel” and “rooted in anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia.”

The statement continued: “If SRR [FSU Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities] and/or Student Government staff take disciplinary action against Ahmad, Florida State University will be legitimizing anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia as well as weaponizing antisemitism to stifle free speech.”

On July 24, 2020 BDS Report tweeted that Daraldik had “just shared a new video on his Instagram story claiming that the problem with Jews is they make everything about themselves.”

The video Daraldik shared on his Instagram story featured a man claiming: “And most Jewish people, when talking about this conflict, it's you guys always want to shift the focus back to you. It’s always anti-Semitism, it’s always anti-Jew. Everything has to be about you guys.”

In October 2020, FSU’s Student Supreme Court ruled that the no-confidence vote, which targeted Denton for his statements of religious conviction, made in a Catholic Student Union’s private group chat in his capacity as a private citizen, violated Denton’s rights to Freedom of Speech and Freedom to Exercise Religion under the Student Body Constitution and Statutes, as well as the Constitution of the United States and of Florida.

SJP Activism

On March 7, 2020, Alvarez participated in an event co-hosted by FSU SJP “about what is [sic] means for children to live and play under military occupation.”

On the same day, Alvarez tagged FSU SJP in a photo he posted to Instagram of FSU SJP members at Mike Blankenship Skate Park posing by graffiti that read: “FREE PALESTINE. PERIOD.”

On March 8, 2020, FSU SJP posted the same photo to their Facebook page.

On October 9, 2019, Alvarez appeared in an FSU SJP group photo on Facebook captioned: “WE’RE GOING TO THE NSJP CONFERENCE 🙌 After 50 minutes of tense debate, the Student Senate voted to pass Resolution 42 with no amendments, granting us $1,344 in travel assistance! Thank you so much to everyone who came out, your presence really made a difference. Onto the next victory! 🇵🇸✊.”

From October 7 - 9, 2019, FSU SJP requested “travel funding” from three of the Student Government Association’s committees to attend the National SJP (NSJP) conference.

The 2019 NSJP Conference was held at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (UMN), from November 1-3. The conference themes centered on support for BDS as well as the rejection of Israel and Zionism. The conference partnered with numerous anti-Israel organizations and conducted their event in a clandestine manner.

On October 8, 2019, Alvarez featured in another FSU SJP photo on Facebook that was captioned: “A HUGE thank you to everyone who came out to support us last night! RTAC [Resource for Travel Allocation Committee] pledged us $1,344 in travel funding! Tonight, the Senate Finance Committee will decide to keep or change that number. Please, come out and support us for Round 2 at *5pm* in the Innovation Hub Room 125. ✌️”

FSU SJP - Glorifying Terrorists

On November 17, 2019, FSU SJP organized a protest titled: “Emergency Demo: #GazaUnderAttack.” The Facebook event page said: “Israeli airstrikes are not ‘self-defense.’ By the Israel Defense Forces' own admission, Israel initiated the latest wave of aggression with the illegal, extra-judicial execution of resistance fighter Bahaa Abu al-Atta and his wife.”

In November 2019, Israel launched “Operation Black Belt” to stop rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. The rockets were sent by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror group on November 12-14, 2019, targeting Israel’s biggest civilian population centers.

FSU SJP’s Facebook event description said: “Rather than self-defense, Israeli airstrikes are a form of collective punishment against Gaza's 2 million inhabitants” and that “The mainstream media and prominent politicians repeat the Israeli ‘self-defense’ trope over and over...”

At the protest, FSU SJP President Shelby Shoup said [00:02:05]: “I cannot imagine how dehumanizing it is to hear American journalists and politicians discussing Israel’s ‘right to self defense,’ insinuating that Palestinians are terrorists.” Activists also chanted [00:00:46] “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

The chant “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state. It is a chant calling to dismantle the State of Israel.

On October 8, 2018, FSU SJP hosted an event titled:“Palestinian Revolutionaries.” The Facebook event description said: “Come screen some videos of Palestinian revolutionaries like Ghassan Kanafani and Leila Khaled! The revolutionaries that come out of liberation-resistance movements are who we look up to and who exemplify what it means to organize.”

Kanafani was a leading member and spokesperson for the terrorist organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) during their formative years. Kanafani was also involved in the Lod Airport Massacre near Tel Aviv, for which PFLP took responsibility.

Leila Khaled participated in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969 and El Al Flight 219 in 1970. She was a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

On October 6, 2018, FSU SJP promoted the event on Facebook and wrote: “We'll also be discussing the PLO & PFLP!!!”

Yasser Arafat, known as the “father of modern terrorism,” was the former leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). During the second intifada, Arafat encouraged children to carry out “martyrdom” operations against Israel.

Arafat reportedly told Arab diplomats in a secret meeting in 1996: "We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion. Jews will not want to live among Arabs. I have no use for Jews. They are and remain Jews."

FSU SJP - Promoting Violence

On July 12, 2019, FSU SJP posted a graphic on Instagram depicting Palestinians holding rocks and slingshots. FSU SJP wrote: “Anyone know the artist?

#FreePalestine.”

Rock throwing is a deadly form of violence, despite being romanticized as a form of “popular resistance.”

On November 26, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled: “Divestment Working Group Meeting.” The event cover photo on its Facebook page was a poster featuring an individual holding a slingshot with text that said “Free the land 'by any means necessary.’”

FSU - SJP Supporting Violent Protesters

On March 30, 2020, FSU SJP posted on Facebook commemorating the “Great March of Return,” describing it as “a protest movement to demand the Right of Return to their stolen lands” and claiming Palestinians were “shot at by Israeli snipers for exercising their right to assembly.” The post said: “... we commemorate… the hundreds of martyrs of the Great Return March.”

On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests,” or the “March of Return.” The march was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests to spotlight the Palestinian demand to “return” to Israel. The “right of return” has since been discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.

March participants sent scores of kites bearing explosive devices across Israel’s border to burn Israeli crops and homes. Participants also attempted to breach the border fence, which caused the Israeli Defense Forces to respond with live fire. Agitators also threw Molotov cocktails and firebombs, shot firearms and threw rocks.

On March 30, 2019, FSU SJP co-hosted an event to commemorate one year since the beginning of the March of Return.

On April 8, 2018, FSU SJP wrote on Facebook: “we've seen the IOF [Israel Occupation Forces] deploy at least 100 snipers in anticipation of unarmed demonstrators attending the Great Return March who, after being shot by said snipers, are being smeared in American media as terrorists and pawns for nonviolently asserting their dignity and human rights--specifically their Right of Return.”

On April 6, 2018, FSU SJP held a “Vigil for Gaza” which the Facebook event description said was “to memorialize those killed by the IDF” in the Gaza March of Return riots.

An April 2, 2018 post by FSU SJP on the Facebook page for the event said: “Reem & Tyler will be speaking on Gaza & the 17 martyrs that we lost.”

The majority of Gazans who died from March 30, 2018 to April 6, 2018 were confirmed as terror operatives, killed while rioting against Israeli forces, carrying out terrorist attacks or trying to infiltrate Israel by destroying the border fence on its border with Gaza.

FSU SJP - Spreading Incitement

On August 11, 2019, FSU SJP alleged in a Facebook post that “Israeli soldiers and settlers have raided and desecrated #AlAqsa Mosque” and “The Israeli police then cleared the compound of Palestinian Muslims and allowed Jewish Israelis to storm Al Aqsa for Tisha B’Av prayers.”

Tisha B’Av is a Jewish day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples, which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

On August 11, 2019, Palestinian rioters threw stones at police and threw chairs and other objects at Jewish visitors to the compound after police allowed them to enter the site, to commemorate Tisha B’Av.

The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque served as the excuse for an upsurge in Palestinian violence that flared in the fall of 2015 and incited Palestinians to attempt mass casualty attacks on Israeli civilians in July 2016.

Such propaganda has been a traditional pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state.

FSU SJP - Opposing the IHRA Definition of Anti-Semitism

In December of 2019, FSU SJP launched a campaign to combat the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism.

On December 16, 2019, FSU SJP posted on Facebook “Proud to co-sign ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻” and linked to a National SJP statement condemning then-U.S. President Trump’s executive order on combating anti-Semitism.

National SJP’s statement said they “explicitly condemn” the Trump administration’s “adoption of the IHRA [anti-Semitism] definition, which conflates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism.”

Several examples of anti-Semitism given in the IHRA’s definition relate to Israel, however the definition states: “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”

The IHRA’s definition was adopted by the U.S. State Department in 2016. Canada, Australia, Israel, Argentina and twenty-eight European countries have also adopted the definition.

Trump’s “Executive Order On Combating Anti-Semitism,” issued on December 11, 2019, stated that the IHRA anti-Semitism definition would be considered when enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as protection for Jews discriminated against based on ethnic, racial or national characteristics.

On July 7, 2020, FSU SJP posted on Facebook urging students to oppose FSU’s 72nd Student Senate Resolution #: 59 that would recognize the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. The Facebook post called for students to join a Student Life & Academic Affairs (SLAA) committee Zoom meeting to express their opposition to the resolution.

The Facebook post also linked to a Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) letter that urged “governments, municipalities, universities and other institutions to reject the IHRA definition” of anti-Semitism.

Later on July 7, 2020, FSU SJP posted on Facebook that the resolution passed through the SLAA. The post said: “Settler-colonialism is racism. Apartheid is racism. Zionism is racism.”

On July 8, 2020, FSU SJP posted to Facebook a “call-to-action email toolkit” to urge FSU student senators to vote no to the resolution.

FSU SJP’s call-to-action toolkit claimed that implementing the IHRA definition “legitimizes the silencing and blacklisting of Palestinian students, allies and solidarity organizations” and that the definition’s examples of anti-Semitism related to Israel is “a way to shut down any criticism of Israel’s racist policies.”

On July 14, 2020, FSU SJP promoted on Facebook an open letter by FSU students & alumni that called for the resolution to “Replace the IHRA definition with a serious analysis of antisemitism that affirms the centrality of ending white supremacy in the struggle to end all related systems of oppression.”

On July 15, 2020, the FSU student senate held another Zoom meeting to vote on the 72nd Student Senate Resolution #: 59 which passed, with 26 votes in favor and 14 against resolution.

Following the passage of the resolution on July 15, 2020, FSU SJP wrote on Facebook the FSU senate “affirms… the censorship of pro-Palestine speech on campus.”

FSU SJP - Promoting Conspiracy Theories

On July 5, 2020, FSU SJP co-hosted an anti-Israel protest titled “Day of Rage.”

The Facebook event page description said: “our police departments continue participating in the Deadly Exchange: learning ‘counter-terrorism’ strategies from the IDF to militarize Black and brown communities here, and teaching stop-and-frisk strategies to the Israeli police to harass Black and brown communities in occupied Palestine.”

Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) launched the “Deadly Exchange” campaign in 2017. The campaign claimed that American Jewish organizations promoted human rights abuses. A video for the campaign by JVP accused American Jewish organizations of planning programs between American and Israeli security personnel, to advance “racist policies.”

On September 23, 2019, FSU SJP hosted a meeting titled “ICE vs. IDF: Detention, Deportation & Family Separation.” An event flyer said: “ICE & THE IDF HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.” The meeting also included a presentation about the “deadly exchange.”

On June 17, 2019, FSU SJP tabled on campus to educate about “pinkwashing” and promote anti-Israel materials. One of the items FSU SJP promoted was a booklet titled “Israel’s Worldwide Role in Repression.”

The booklet was published by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), which claims to “struggle against Zionism” and accuses Israel of the “ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”

The booklet claimed that Israel’s military campaigns “serve as an [sic] laboratory
to develop weapons, surveillance technology, and tactics of population control that are then marketed across the globe.” It also alleged Israel was “at the forefront of a global industry of repression” and that “In the Middle East, Israel is the primary aggressor.”

FSU SJP - Spreading Hatred of Israel-Supporters

On March 11, 2020, FSU SJP posted a photo on its Facebook page of pro-Israel students tabling on campus and wrote that “The Zionist Organization of America… is a right-wing, Islamophobic org… The normalization of Zionism on campus = normalization of the alt-right. Why are they tabling at Market Wednesday?”

The policy of “anti-normalization” aims to ensure that all interactions between Israelis and Palestinians align only with the Arab agenda, including ending the occupation and a full right of return for Palestinians, which is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. The policies are shared with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

FSU SJP - Demonizing Israel

On November 18, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled “Hasbara: Debunking Zionist myths.” The Facebook event description claimed: “Hasbara refers to public relations efforts to disseminate positive information about the State of Israel that whitewashes its apartheid regime and military occupation.”

The description also said: “There are countless arguments that whitewash Israeli apartheid… Let's discuss what narratives we usually hear in defense of Israel and learn how to respond to some of the most common hasbara talking points!”

On October 7, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled “GBM:Apartheid 101: Palestine, South Africa & the Jim Crow South.” The Facebook event description claimed about the description of Israel as apartheid: “nothing could more aptly describe Palestinian life..”

On September 23, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled “ICE vs. IDF: Detention, Deportation & Family Separation.” The Facebook event page description claimed that “Detentions, deportations and family separations are routine aspects of Palestinian life. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) uses borders, walls and widespread abusive detention of Palestinians…”

On May 15, 2019, FSU SJP held a “Nakba Day” event. The Facebook event description said: “Nakba Day is the anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of May 15, 1948 in which Zionist militias forcefully expelled 800,000 Palestinians from their homeland” and that Nakba “also refers to the ongoing, 71-year long legacy of Israeli military occupation and apartheid.”

Nakba is an Arabic term for “catastrophe” and refers to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel.

On the same date, FSU SJP posted photos from the event on Facebook, including of their “mock apartheid wall,” with a panel claiming to show maps of Israel’s “LAND THEFT.”

Lands previously controlled by Jordan, Egypt and Britain are shown as autonomous “Palestinian land,” which the maps suggest were stolen by Israel.

In 2016, copies of a college textbook containing the misleading maps were recalled by publisher MCGraw-Hill.

SJP groups on campuses have constructed mock “apartheid” walls to draw attention to alleged Israeli human rights violations against Palestinians

On April 4, 2019, FSU SJP promoted an event on Facebook where they would “be delving further into the topics that you all saw on our wall and we will be going deeper into the issues surrounding Palestine, Gaza, the Great Return March, Zionism, & Israel.”

On April 2, 2019, FSU SJP displayed their “mock apartheid wall” on the FSU campus.

FSU SJP - Promoting BDS

On February 1, 2021 the FSU Student Life Academic Affairs Committee (SLAA) voted against a BDS bill written and sponsored by FSU SJP member Ahmad Daraldik. that called on FSU to divest from a number of companies doing business with Israel.

On December 3, 2019, FSU SJP held a meeting about launching a divestment campaign against Israel. The event description said: “We are preparing to launch a campaign to pressure Florida State University to divest from companies that knowingly profit off of Palestinian oppression. Please come out to our new weekly Divestment working group meetings to strategize and build together!”

On November 26, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled “Divestment Working Group Meeting.” The Facebook description for the event said participants would “research Divestment campaigns on other North American campuses, including the language of their Divestment resolutions and what tactics they employed to win student support.”

The event description also said “It's going to be a long and difficult road to introducing and passing a Divestment resolution to the Student Senate this year, but we think it's possible if we all do our part!”

On November 13, 2018, FSU SJP held an event promoting BDS. The event description said: “Come get your BDS shopping list of all the products & brands that you should be boycotting NOW! Boycott Israel, bring down the occupation!”

SJP

SJP is a student organization engaged in anti-Israel activity on North American college and university campuses.

The first chapter of SJP was founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley by Professor Hatem Bazian. Bazian has spread classic anti-Semitism, reportedly promoted religious anti-Semitism and defended the Hamas terror group. In 2004, Bazian called for “intifada” in America.

SJP organizes anti-Israel campaigns, including running annual Israel Apartheid Weeks, often in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) campus chapters.

SJP has been a major force in pushing the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campuses. Chapters have initiated dozens of BDS resolutions in student governments, which have been proposed on or around Jewish holidays, a time when many Jewish students are off-campus.

SJP activists have reportedly physically assaulted, intimidated and harassed Jewish students, disrupted pro-Israel campus events and demonized pro-Israel campus organizations.

Chapters have often endorsed and campaigned for numerous terrorists and whitewashed terrorism.