Interview with Puget Sound Revolutionary Student Union on the Two-Year Al-Aqsa Flood Anniversary Walkout and March

The Puget Sound Revolutionary Student Union (PSRSU) organized a successful student walkout on October 7, 2025, in commemoration of the two-year anniversary of the heroic Palestinian resistance operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Around 400 students participated in the walkout in Seattle, where students marched in support of the Palestinian resistance and in condemnation of the US-Israel genocide. The Worker conducted an interview with the organizers of the walkout and march.

Can you tell us a little bit about the principles of your organization and the practical work that you do at your schools?

Puget Sound Revolutionary Student Union is based in several high schools and colleges in the Puget Sound schools. We are an anti-imperialist organization for students and youth fighting for revolution. We understand that there are two main antagonistic classes in society today: the Proletariat (working class) and the Bourgeoisie (rich ruling class). The working class can only be free from oppression and exploitation once they wage revolution to overthrow the Bourgeoisie.

We teach youth about issues like capitalism and imperialism- systems today that are responsible for the exploitation, misery and death of billions across the globe. The meager reforms advocated for by the Democrats will never puncture the swollen capitalist balloon, the only path forward for the working class is the elimination of capitalism and imperialism in a People’s War (revolution) led by the Communist Party. The practical work we involve ourselves in such as mass work and student outreach serves to develop youth into lifelong proletarian revolutionaries.

The monopoly media outlet Seattle Red is reporting that your organization carried out “an October 7 walkout to show support for the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel.” Can you tell us why you chose to walk out on this date and what the objectives of the walkout were?

We chose to walkout on October 7th in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance. The media paints October 7th as a senseless and random terrorist attack. Palestine has been oppressed for over 100 years, the Palestinian people have been violently exploited, massacred, and displaced since before Israel’s inception. The ruling class spends billions of dollars dedicated to the elimination of Palestine and the genocide of Palestinian people because of their need for economic and military control over the region. October 7th was justified, the resistance of the oppressed is always justified. For decades Palestinians protested peacefully and were massacred, October 7th proved the strength of oppressed people and the weakness of imperialism. The media labels the violent resistance to Palestinian genocide as terrorism because it is the only way they can convince the world that what they are doing is justified. In reality, the real terrorists today are the bloodthirsty Zionists who have massacred over 100,000 Palestinian men, women and children with plans to ruthlessly slaughter thousands more.

An objective of our walkout was to encourage students to support the armed resistance of the oppressed masses against imperialism, such as the heroic resistance demonstrated on October 7th. The media, government, education and all institutions today are controlled by the Bourgeoisie. For example, local tech companies like Boeing and Microsoft provide weaponry and technology to Israel while simultaneously funding STEM and robotics programs in our public schools, funneling students into the war profiteering industry.

Tell us about the events on the day of the walkout. What schools participated, how many students took part in the walkout, what the response was from the police and school administrators, etc.?

Puget Sound Revolutionary Student Union has been left incredibly inspired and optimistic from the events of October 7th. 350-400 students walked out of Seattle schools, with hundreds more walking out in the Puget Sound and gathered at a park in the middle of Seattle. Teachers in our area have been suspended or fired for being pro Palestine. Despite this, many of our teachers still bravely supported us walking out against the genocide. In total, 32 schools (high schools, a middle school, community colleges, and universities) participated in the state-wide walkouts. In addition to walking out, youth in Seattle rallied and marched into the streets where students enthusiastically burned the flag of the genocidal state of Israel and ruthlessly beat an effigy of imperialist in chief Donald Trump. The initiative and combativity of students was incredibly strong as “death of the IDF” and “hey, hey, ho, ho, Israel has got to go” was chanted throughout the march of 400 students, during individual school walkouts, and on public transit to the mass gathering.

Police and administration generally did not engage with the protest itself. In the days leading up to October 7th, school administration sent scathing emails against the walkouts claiming there was “hateful rhetoric” towards Jewish students and asked for young organizers to leave official campus spaces when flyering for October 7th. Individual parents posted pictures of the flyers and denounced the walkout as well.

In your agitational materials surrounding the walkout efforts, you say that Operation Al Aqsa Flood was “one of the most important events of our lifetime”. Can you elaborate on this statement and explain what you consider to be the significance of Operation Al Aqsa Flood?

October 7th is an example of the global struggle of oppressed people. It sent a shock wave throughout the world, it proved that the rebellion of the oppressed masses will inevitably wipe out imperialism. The decrepit alliance between Israel and U.S. imperialism have only led more youth to take a stronger stance against our government, imperialism, and capitalism. Al-Aqsa Flood proved that the strength and organization of the oppressed masses is far stronger than any weapon the imperialists will use. Israel and the United States may boast about their weaponry, but its an illusion, because their weapons are created from the exploitation of billions around the world. The billions of exploited and oppressed people will only be further agitated by imperialism and will lead revolutions to send imperialism to it’s grave.

After the walkout concluded, your organization stated that “walking out isn’t enough”, and that “the only weapon we have to destroy imperialism is organization”. Can you elaborate on these statements and explain what kinds of anti-imperialist organizing you plan to carry out in the future?

Walking out is not enough. Peaceful protest and simply vocalizing support for Palestine has never been enough for Palestine to be freed. The majority of people in the US want the genocide in Palestine to end. But US politicians and institutions that hold power in this country do not due to their economic and military interests in the region. Our politicians, even ones who claim to support “socialism” or “a free Palestine”, have cowardly stumbled at the defense of the actions of October 7th. At our Seattle rally, Trotskyite degenerates campaigned for revisionist Kshama Sawant and confused young high schoolers by asking them to vote in the upcoming election. Kshama Sawant herself has not backed the resistance efforts of the intifadas and the legitimacy of violent armed struggle against Israel out of fear of losing her race against Adam Smith for the House of Representative’s of Washington’s ninth district.

PSRSU aims to train students ideologically, politically, and organizationally to guide the masses in the fight for revolution led by the working class. The oppressed and exploited need dedicated and capable life-long proletarian revolutionary leaders. Power must be conquered by the proletariat not only in Palestine but in the United States, and all across the globe. We will continue to wage campaigns that support ongoing national liberation struggles and People’s Wars.

This article has been updated (10/15) to allow for the interviewee to correct a factual inaccuracy in the discussion of Kshama Sawant’s electoral campaign.

Photo: Student walkout and march organized by Puget Sound Revolutionary Student Union on October 7, 2025. Credit: Puget Sound Revolutionary Student Union

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