Lawrence Hamm, chairman of the People’s Organization For Progress (POP) and a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, said he will embark on a 24-hour fast in solidarity with hunger-striking Princeton students.
The students are demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, an end to military aid to Israel, and divestment from companies with ties to Israel as part of the nationwide uprising against supplying American weapons that are being used to slaughter children in the war zone.
Hamm’s decision to fast comes as a show of support for the Princeton students’ humanitarian concerns and their advocacy for Palestinian liberation.
“On Tuesday, May 14th at 6 am I will begin a 24-hour fast in solidarity with the hunger-striking Princeton students who are calling for an end to the slaughter in Gaza and for Princeton to divest,” Hamm said. “I am inspired by the student’s humanitarian concern for the people of Gaza and their support for Palestinian liberation. The People’s Organization For Progress supports the demands and protests of the students at Princeton and other campuses throughout the United States and the world,”
The 70-year-old candidate said he will only drink water during his day-long fast.
“I am fasting because I support the call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, an end to military aid to Israel, and for Princeton University to divest from companies with ties to Israel,” said Hamm, speaking not only as a representative of POP but also as a Princeton alumnus.
Hamm drew parallels between the current situation and his activism at Princeton.
While a student, Hamm led a successful campus movement to get Princeton University to divest from companies doing business with the racist white minority apartheid regime in South Africa. In 1978, Hamm was among the 210 students who held a sit-in for two days at Nassau Hall.
Hamm’s support for the hunger strikers underscores his commitment to social justice and peace. He urged Princeton alumni and people of conscience to join him in solidarity with the hunger strikers, whether through fasting or other means of support. Additionally, he called on alumni to write to the university president and board of trustees, urging them to engage in good faith negotiations with the students and grant amnesty to all student protestors.
Last week, Hamm addressed a letter to Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber, condemning the arrests of students by police and calling for the university to meet the students’ demands. He demanded amnesty for all students who had been arrested, suspended, dismissed, or sanctioned in any way due to their participation in protests.
Hamm’s actions reflect a broader movement of solidarity with Palestinian rights and opposition to violence and oppression. As he stands with the hunger strikers, he amplifies their voices and calls for accountability from institutions complicit in perpetuating injustice.
“I call upon Princeton alumni and all people of conscience to support the hunger strikers and all the students on campus protesting for divestment today. If possible fast in solidarity with the hunger strikers or support them in other ways,” said Hamm. “Another way for alumni and others to show support would be to write the president of the university and board of trustees and urge them to hold good faith negotiations with the students about their demands and to grant total amnesty to all the student protestors.”
Hamm is the only contender for the 2024 Democratic nomination who did not support corrupt Senator Bob Menendez in the 2018 primary race.
His chief rival in the primary is warmongering Congressman Andy Kim, a product of the military-industrial complex who supported military aid to Israel long after the retaliation involved a barbaric assault on children and likely genocide more than any attempt to force Hamas to surrender its remaining 130 hostages.