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The PSM has not taken any policy stances for adoption by the Palestinian people, and therefore refuses to denounce terorism by Palestinians, stating that "as a solidarity movement, it is not our place to dictate the strategies or tactics adopted by the Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation." The organization has been known to be controversial for its stance against Israel and its calls for divestment from Israel, and its refusal to denounce the use of terrorism by Palestinians. The Anti-Defamation League has held numerous protests against PSM activities. University presidents have received criticism for hosting the conferences, and have usually had to respond to the events through websites and statements (see Georgetown or Duke link). DIVISIONS There have been some divisions in the PSM and there have been some other groups that have been formed. The largest of these is the New Jersey Solidarity group, which is centered at Rutgers University . They have held their own separate conferences and events. CONFERENCES PSM holds annual conferences at universities throughout America. The inaugaral conference was at the University Of California Berkeley in Berkeley, California (February 2002). Past conferences have been at University Of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan (October 2002), The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio (November 2003), and Duke University in Durham, North Carolina (October 2004). This year the conference will be held in Washington, D.C. at Georgetown University on February 17-19. The Ohio State University - November 7 - 9, 2003, Columbus, Ohio The OSU conference was hosted by the local Committee for Justice in Palestine and attracted over 200 people. Attendees reaffirmed their commitment to the movement's guiding principles. Resolutions adopted during the conference included a commitment to the divestment campaign and an affirmation of the movement's claim that "Zionism is racism." Conference attendees also reaffirmed the movement's goals: the right of return for Palestinians, a "full decolonization of all Palestinian land" and an end of the Israeli occupation. University of Michigan - October 12-14, 2002, Ann Arbor, Michigan The second national PSM conference, held at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, attracted over 400 people, included former University Of South Florida Professor Sami Al-Arian . Representatives of Al-Awda sold T-shirts with the inscription "Intifada! Palestine will be free from the river to the sea." The slogan was also shouted by conference-goers confronting a handful of protesters outside the building. University of California, Berkeley - February 16-18, 2002, Berkeley, California The first national PSM conference was initiated by Students for Justice in Palestine, a student group from the University of California, Berkeley, in conjunction with the San Francisco chapter of the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee. One of the resolutions adopted at the first PSM conference expressed an unreserved support for the Intifada: "We, the national student movement for solidarity with Palestine, declare our solidarity with the popular resistance to Israeli occupation, colonization, and apartheid." EXTERNAL LINKS
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