Outfitted with shirts showing killed Palestinian civilians, student demonstrators took to Wilson Quad on Sept. 28 amidst the neighboring celebrations and events of Meliora Weekend to protest the war in Gaza.
Students began convening close to 3 p.m. at the foot of the Meliora Weekend Ferris wheel outside Wilson Commons, lying together silently to emulate the corpses of civilians killed in the conflict. The 16 participants remained silent and still for the entirety of the demonstration, while others distributed flyers detailing the ways in which individuals can support the efforts of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) in their efforts to push for University divestment from Israel.
As alumni and bystanders walked past, some began to mock the protestors, while others simply watched the demonstration unfold.
With the latter group was University Vice President for Student Life John Blackshear, who monitored the event from the beginning, with Interim Director for Student Life Brian Magee joining soon after. Despite gradual ramp ups in monitoring with Public Safety officers hovering inside Wilson Commons after about 30 minutes, the response was minimal during the event itself.
“No request for this event/demonstration was made prior to it taking place,” spokesperson Sara Miller said, stating the protest violated the University’s newly released Demonstrations, Vigils, and Peaceful Protests policy. “The matter has been referred to University Student Conduct and DPS, both of whom are investigating.”
Student protestors exited Wilson Quad after approximately two hours, leaving their shirts spread out on the quad to emphasize their core message. Shirts were collected and discarded soon after.
Since Meliora Weekend, signs have been spotted around campus urging students to “please review the University’s current policies on demonstrations, vigils, and peaceful protests,” with a QR code to the updated policies.
In continuing with their demands for the University to divest from Israel-associated institutions, SJP took responsibility for the protest in a statement released Oct. 5 on Instagram.
“While the University projects an image of inclusivity and justice, it turns a blind eye to the investments it makes in systems that uphold apartheid and occupation,” SJP stated. “We stood in solidarity not only with the people of Palestine, but also with those in Lebanon and Syria, and the many other people who are enduring escalating violence in the hands of the settler-colonialist state of Israel.”
