Sofia Sinnokrot
Overview
Sofia Sinnokrot has spread hatred of Israel and America, co-authored a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) resolution and was Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) president at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (SJP UIUC) in 2020.In October 2020, Sinnokrot was listed as the president, membership director and primary contact of SJP UIUC. She also served as secretary on the SJP UIUC executive board for the 2019-2020 academic year. Sinnokrot attended the 2019 National SJP (NSJP) Conference and was an activist with SJP UIUC as early as 2018.
In November 2019, Sinnokrot featured [00:01:08]on a panel for the 12th annual American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) Palestine Convention.
During the 2020-2021 academic year, Sinnokrot served as a senator in UIUC’s Illinois Student Government (ISG). In September 2020, she co-authored a BDS resolution in the ISG. In April 2020, she was elected [p. 4] to the ISG senate. In March 2020, she served as a “voting member” on the ISG Committee of Diversity and Inclusion.
As of October 2022, Sinnokrot’s LinkedIn page said she was an intern at Illinois Lawyers' Assistance Program since May 2018. Her LinkedIn page also said that she graduated with a degree in Global Studies from UIUC in 2021.
As of October 2022, Sinnokrot’s LinkedIn said she was located in the greater Chicago area.
Hatred of Israel
On May 10, 2021, Sinnokrot led [00:27:22] a crowd in chants at an SJP UIUC protest on campus: “Stop the killing, stop the hate, Israel is an apartheid state! Stop the killing, stop the hate, Israel is a terror state! Stop the killing, stop the hate, Israel is a racist state!”The rally where Sinnokrot spoke was titled: “EMERGENCY rally for Sheikh Jarrah.”
At the same SJP UIUC rally where Sinnokrot led chants, one speaker said [00:12:55]: “When we talk about violence it’s always from the oppressor so anything else that the oppressed do is self-defense and justified.” Another speaker said [00:02:16]: “Zionism is genocidal.” Protesters also chanted [00:03:25]: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”
“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” is a chant calling to dismantle the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state.
On November 18, 2020, while Sinnokrot was SJP UIUC president, the group wrote on Facebook: “The Zionist state in Palestine has carried out and continues a massive ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.” The same post also said that Zionists “advocate for white supremacy and racism,” and called Zionism a “racist ideology.”
Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture.
On October 30, 2019, Sinnokrot tweeted: “why couldn’t god take someone like [Israeli Prime Minister] benjamin netanyahu why’d he have to take my aunt.”
On March 25, 2019, Sinnokrot wrote on Instagram that Israel was “an apartheid state with aims to ethnically cleanse the Palestinian people out of their land…”
On January 9, 2019, Sinnokrot posted a photo of herself to Instagram wearing a shirt with text on it that read: “RIGHT TO F**KING RETURN.” Sinnokrot wrote: “by far one of my fav outfits from my trip.”
The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. International law mandates no absolute right of return and UN Resolution 194, which defined principles for “refugees wishing to return to their homes,” was unanimously rejected by Arab nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
On January 6, 2018, Sinnokrot reportedly tweeted: “i looked so ugly in the mirror this morning i thought i was a zionist crazy s**t man.”
On July 21, 2017, Sinnokrot reportedly tweeted: “Good morning, death to Israel.”
Hatred of America
On May 26, 2020, Sinnokrot posted a photo to Instagram where she held a sign that was modified to read: “THE US MILITARY IS THE WORLD’S BIGGEST terrorist organization.”On August 14, 2018, the Twitter account @sjpuncovered reported that Sinnokrot’s Twitter background photo said: “Death to America is the first option on our table.”
On January 5, 2018, Sinnokrot reportedly tweeted about the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, writing: “block me if you think 9/11 was anything but strategic work of the U.S.”
BDS Resolution Co-Author
In September 2020, Sinnokrot co-authored an SJP UIUC BDS resolution (RES.04.22) with SJP UIUC leader Buthaina Hattab. The resolution was titled: “RES.04.22 Human Rights Violations in University Investments and Police Forces.”On September 23, 2020, an ISG meeting discussing the resolution was live-streamed on Facebook. During the meeting, Sinnokrot spoke [01:52:14] in favor of the resolution and later voted [03:32:22] for it.
Sophia Giakas Ayesh, an SJP UIUC activist, commented [02:36:58] during the live stream: “Honestly bruh, Zionism is a political agenda that’s racist and supports genocide so bye.”
SJP UIUC’s statement on the vote claimed that “both the BDS and the BLM [Black Lives Matter] movement resist the fundamental racism that Israeli and American entities need to survive.”
Anti-Israel Activism (SJP, BDS, AMP)
On May 23, 2021, Sinnokrot featured [slide 3] in an Instagram photo taken at a May 21, 2021 protest at the end of Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW) against Hamas. In the photo, she held a sign featuring the cartoon character Handala and the text: “WE WILL RETURN,” a reference to the “right of return.”On May 20, 2021, Sinnokrot was quoted in an article about anti-Israel protests during OGW, where she said: “I think through raising enough awareness globally, especially through social media, we can apply pressure on Israeli forces to back down.”
On February 19, 2020, Sinnokrot spoke [00:21:28] at an ISG meeting after the ISG president vetoed a BDS resolution authored by multiple SJP activists. In her speech, she claimed [00:23:27] that the resolution “didn’t divide our campus, our campus was already divided.”
In an October 14, 2019 article, published by UIUC’s student newspaper the Daily Illini, Sinnokrot reportedly defended a presentation by SJP activist Dunia Ghanimah that praised [slide 14] “Martyrdom” and honored terrorist leaders Leila Khaled and Yasser Arafat.
On February 28, 2020, SJP UIUC endorsed Sinnokrot on its Facebook page and wrote: “As secretary of SJP… She is best fit to serve the interests of her constituents, and will work towards a campus that is inclusive for all...Make sure you vote Sofia Sinnokrot for LAS-D student senator...!”
In January 2020, Sinnokrot attended the “Youth for Palestine conference” co-hosted by Midwest SJP and the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM). The conference was held on January 25-26, 2020 at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (UM Ann Arbor).
On November 29, 2019, Sinnokrot featured [00:01:08] on a panel at AMP’s 12th annual Palestine Convention. The session was titled: “Activism with no fear: Dealing with Zionists on Campus.” AMP and SJP founder Hatem Bazian was listed as the “Advisor” for the panel discussion.
On the same day, SJP Chicago uploaded an Instagram highlight called “#AMPCon19” that featured [slide 3] Sinnokrot and other activists. The Instagram story had text written on it that read: “Panel on dealing with zionists on campus With Dr. Hatem Bazian!.”
Attending the 2019 National SJP Conference
On November 3, 2019, Sinnokrot appeared in an SJP Chicago Instagram photo that was captioned: “Some of our beautiful SJP Chicago members repping their universities at the National Students for Justice in Palestine Conference! Shoutout to the wonderful NSJP team for hosting another great conference
#PalestineinChi Palestine #SJPChicago.”The conference themes centered on support for BDS and the rejection of Israel and Zionism. The conference partnered with numerous anti-Israel organizations and conducted their event in a clandestine manner.
The 2019 National SJP Conference website indicated that the goal of their “solidarity movement” was to push for policies that “demanded the end of” the state of Israel, referred to as “the Israeli occupation.”
The website clarified that “the Palestinian struggle against Zionism, extends beyond the confines of 1967, and well before the Nakba,” and was based on the rejection of Jewish national self-determination in Israel.
The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by defining it as a catastrophe.
NSJP required attendees to be “verified and vouched for” by an SJP chapter to which they belonged and required each chapter to register as a group. The conference also required each group to be verified by a “reference––someone who is NOT going to this conference but who is or has recently been a part of your SJP.”
NSJP limited access to journalists “registered and confirmed by our Media Committee in advance to attend the conference. Absolutely no exceptions will be made.” During the conference, NSJPreportedly covered the windows of the conference hall.
SJP UIUC Chapter Overview
SJP UIUC has a history of hate-filled anti-Israel protests on campus, including in April 2022 when someone threw a rock at Jewish students. SJP UIUC leads an annual anti-Israel divestment campaign where other anti-Semitic incidents have occurred.In November 2020, SJP UIUC featured [pp. 3-8] prominently as a source of anti-Semitism on campus in a civil rights legal complaint filed against UIUC.
SJP UIUC speakers show support for terrorists and spread hatred of Zionists and Israel. Speakers use chants that call for Israel’s destruction and other chants for “intifada,” which is a call for violence.
SJP UIUC speakers also routinely demonize Zionism and in March 2022, one speaker claimed: “Zionism is the root cause of the social issues we see today.” SJP UIUC uses social media to spread the same sort of hatred outlined above.
SJP UIUC - Creating a Hostile Campus Environment 2015-2020
In October 2020, SJP UIUC was cited [pp. 3-8] in six different incidents in a civil rights legal complaint against UIUC documenting anti-Semitic incidents on campus as early as 2015. Jewish groups filed the complaint under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.The complaint said [p.12]: “UIUC has also failed to combat anti-Semitism as vigorously as it has combated other forms of bigotry on its campus prohibited by Title VI.”
One cited incident [p.4] was from 2019 when SJP UIUC members and supporters approached pro-Israel students. At least one SJP supporter spat on a pro-Israel student. Other Israel supporters were called “Nazi” and “white supremacist” and were told they had “dual loyalty” since they were “not a true citizen of the United States.”
SJP UIUC - Supporting Terrorists 2019-2020
On November 15, 2019, SJP UIUC held a protest where Sarah El Zayyat, then an SJP UIUC member, read [00:18:57] names from a list of “martyrs.” One of the names she read was Baha Abu al-Ata, a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander in Gaza targeted by Israel in an airstrike who was reportedly planning terror attacks.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.
At the rally, an activist held [00:00:46] an Israeli flag defaced with the text “GENO
CIDE” and red handprints meant to signify blood.SJP UIUC protest was titled: “EMERGENCY RALLY: #GazaUnderAttack.” The Facebook event page said: “In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes have killed over 32 Palestinians and injured over 100 in the last 24 hours. Come stand with us in solidarity against Israel's continual genocide and violation of Palestinian human rights.”
SJP UIUC - Hatred of Israel 2019-2020
On October 10, 2019, SJP UIUC wrote on Facebook: “Zionism is a political ideology that seeks to maintain an artificial Jewish majority in historic Palestine through the systematic occupation and dispossession of Palestinians’ land and livelihoods.”The post was issued in defense of a presentation by SJP president Dunia Ghanimah that praised [slide 14] “Martyrdom” and honored terrorist leaders Leila Khaled and Yasser Arafat. Ghanimah, who was a Mulitcultural Advocate (MA) at UIUC, gave the presentation to other MAs, as well as UIUC Housing employees and Resident Advisors.
On October 16, 2019, several Illinois Student Government (ISG) senators authored a resolution defending the presentation.
On October 22, 2019, SJP UIUC posted on Facebook encouraging students to support the ISG’s resolution.
On October 24, 2019, SJP UIUC posted on Facebook in celebration of the resolution passing.
On January 16, 2020, SJP UIUC tweeted a thread protesting a training session on anti-Semitism that had been scheduled for UIUC Housing employees, Resident Advisors, and Multicultural Advocates. The session was organized by the non-profit Jewish United Fund of Chicago (JUF).
In the Twitter thread, SJP UIUC described the JUF as a “hate group.” SJP UIUC also accused JUF of the “brokering of Chicago Police Officers exchange with israeli Occupation Forces” that contributed to a “police culture of systematic violence against Black and Palestinian youth.”
“Israeli Occupation Forces,” or “IOF,” is a derogatory term used to demonize the Israeli army by anti-Israel activists. The term mocks the official name, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
SJP UIUC BDS Activities
During the 2019-2020 academic year, SJP UIUC launched a BDS campaign by authoring a student government resolution asking the university to divest funds from companies that are either based in Israel or do business in Israel.In February 2020, SJP UIUC created the group UIUC Divest to promote BDS on campus and present BDS as an intersectional effort from different campus advocacy groups. In that academic year and each year since then, SJP UIUC or individual SJP UIUC board members authored a divestment resolution.
SJP UIUC BDS Activities - 2019-2020
On February 5, 2020, former SJP UIUC presidents Buthaina Hattab and Dunia Ghanimah, as well as then president Ahlam Khatib, collectively authored an Illinois Student Government (ISG) anti-Israel divestment Resolution 03.61, titled: “Violations of Human Rights in University Investments.”On February 12, 2020, a female Jewish student spoke [01:56:58] at an ISG meeting held to discuss the divestment resolution, to discuss an incident where someone held a sign that said [p. 7]: “F**K NAZIS SUPPORT PALESTINIANS.”
The female Jewish student said that she attended an ISG meeting during the fall semester that addressed a separate anti-Israel resolution. She said [01:56:58]: “When I walked into the room I was confronted by a huge sign held up by SJP that said ‘F**k Nazis’. They called us Nazis!”
Somone in the crowd then shouted [01:57:07] at the same female Jewish student: “They’re right!”
On February 15, 2020, UIUC Divest tweeted: “...UIUC Divest passes 20-9-7! ISG resolution 03.61 “Violation of Human Rights in University Investments” calls on UIUC to divest from corporations that engage in human rights abuses including Israeli war crimes in Palestine.
#UIUCDivest.”On February 17, 2020, UIUC Divest tweeted a letter signed by SJP UIUC criticizing the ISG President Connor Josellis for vetoing the resolution one day earlier.
On February 19, 2020, Josellis said [00:37:31] that he vetoed the resolution because of “a level of hate that I have not previously seen firsthand and on behalf of the student government, I condemn any hateful rhetoric that led to students feeling unsafe in this environment.”
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.
AMP
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) was founded by UC Berkeley Professor Hatem Bazian as a vehicle to generate mainstream support in the United States for the Palestinian national cause.
On its website, the organization lists Bazian as the chairman of its national board and describes itself as “a national education and grassroots-based organization, dedicated to educating the American public about Palestine and its rich cultural, historical and religious heritage.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has accused AMP of promoting “extreme anti-Israel views and has at times provided a platform for anti-Semitism under the guise of educating Americans” about Palestinians. The ADL further stated that AMP is directly involved in campus-based anti-Israel activity through Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Prior to founding the AMP in 2006, Dr. Bazian created SJP together with fellow UC Berkeley Professor Snehal Shingavi in 2001. The close working relationship between AMP and SJP has been documented several times over the years by several organizations, including NGO Monitor and StandWithUs.
In addition to providing financial, public relations and legal assistance to SJP, AMP has also been accused of having connections to Hamas. The AMP national board includes former members of both the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP) and Holy Land Foundation (HLF), both of which were found liable for aiding and abetting Hamas. The IAP was founded by Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, a senior member of Hamas.
BDS
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.
One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”
Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”
In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”
The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.
BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.
The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.
Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.
BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.
Social Media and Weblinks
Facebook 1: https://www.facebook.com/sofiasinn19 [Private]Facebook 2: https://www.facebook.com/sofiaforsenate [Deleted]
Twitter 1: https://twitter.com/cutebutradical [Private]
Twitter 2: https://twitter.com/i7lif [Deleted]
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sofiasinn/ [Deleted]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-sinnokrot-b1605418a/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourglobalbestie
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