MARINE RECRUITMENT PROTEST Brandeis Leftist Union protests U.S. Marine recruiters

■ The BLU protested for three hours as U.S. Marines attempted to recruit Brandeis students.

By SOPHIA DE LISI JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Wednesday, Jan. 25, the Brandeis Leftist Union held a military recruitment protest in the Shapiro Campus Center, tirelessly chanting and showing off their signs in the presence of several Marine recruiters.

The unrecognized club announced its plans to protest a day after an email from Marine Captain Austin R. Lorah reached Brandeis students’ inboxes informing the community that recruiters would be on campus to offer information about the Marine Corps Officer Selection Program, “a no obligation, paid summer training program” that would give participants the opportunity to become Marine Officers after graduation. Shortly after this announcement reached students, the BLU posted a call to protest over its Instagram, urging students to join them from 10:30 to 1:30 p.m. in a show of support for “international solidarity” and “resistance to global U.S. imperialism.”

Four members from the BLU awaited the Marine recruiters in front of the Hiatt Career Center, engaging with students and handing out their flyers covered with designs inspired by social movements that protested the Vietnam War. However, they quickly learned that the Marines would be setting up at the Shapiro Campus Center instead, and the BLU members changed course accordingly. The BLU deliberately established itself across from the Marines’ table and set to work, engaging with students, chanting, and attempting to steer any potential recruits away.

As some might know, the BLU is no stranger to protests.

In a written follow-up interview, the BLU highlighted its key activities and protests as “anti-fascist, anti-imperialist, and anti-racist demonstrations.” Furthermore, it has been involved with “mutual aid efforts with Food Not Bombs Waltham and Warm Up Boston” and rallied both its club members and students in support of dining and library workers on campus. In this case, these members wrote that they were protesting to “drive U.S. imperialists off [the] campus, make a

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By ARIELLA WEISS

stand against the U.S. war machine recruiting students from Brandeis,” arguing that the University’s past social justice and “anti-imperialist” efforts are the antithesis of its cooperation with the Marines.

When asked to define the connection between campus military recruitment efforts and United States militaristic imperialism, an anonymous BLU member answered, “imperialism requires bodies [to refuel] Saudi jets, bomb buses with children, repair drones to murder people across South East Asia and North West Africa,” drawing the connection between recruitment to the soldiers who are responsible for these actions.

Along with protesting to point out Brandeis’ “complicity” with the U.S. military, the BLU also defined its desire to spread its uninhibited spirit and inspire other students to protest in the same way.

In its desire for visibility, the BLU was not shy about its feelings towards the military and the Marines’ presence. Anyone in the vicinity of the SCC — surrounding students, Einstein Bros. Bagels’ staff and patrons — heard the megaphone-augmented chants of six students over the span of three hours:

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