WILLAIMSTOWN, Mass. – Several student protesters have begun an encampment at Williams College.

Up to 30 tents have been set up at Williams quad and as of 12:30 p.m. Thursday, students walked around campus holding hands, chanting “free Palestine” and “expose, divest, we will not stop we will not rest.”

“We’ve become increasingly frustrated with how the administration has basically not responded to any of our demands and have refused to divest from weapons manufacturing that are directly funding Israel,” said sophomore Deena Iqbal, who is part of Students for Justice in Palestine.

Students for Justice in Palestine is working with Jews for Justice, holding teach-ins for people on campus that are open to anyone who may want to come and listen.

“In light of all universities in Gaza being destroyed, we are setting up this popular university in solidarity to take back the college campus since it is so nonresponsive to students, to faculty, to staff, kind of demanding that we will form our own educative system our own encampment where we can learn," said senior Amy Garcia of Students for Justice in Palestine.

The college referred inquiries to President Maud Mandel’s campus message, which states, in part:

“Students are entitled to assemble and voice their views and concerns. This includes through encampments, which in and of themselves do not violate any college rule… we expect any student who uses their voice to do so within the broad guardrails of the Williams code of conduct.”

The students plan to keep up their encampment indefinitely.