WISCONSIN — College students across Wisconsin are protesting Israel's war in Gaza and standing in solidarity with Palestinians.
The student protests come as more than 1,000 people have been arrested around the country in connection to student-organized protests of the war, in the 10 days since 108 people were arrested at Columbia University. Protests have taken places on college campuses around the U.S.
UW-Madison
The University of Wisconsin-Madison student group, Students for Justice in Palestine, created an encampment on Library Mall on campus. Hundreds of students joined the protest.
Early in the day protesters started to set up tents as campus police approached them; protestors gathered in a circle, locking arms and prevented the police from entering the encampment space throughout the day.
“We, the students of UW-Madison, in alignment with the Popular University for Gaza National Campaign, have transformed Library Mall into a liberated zone in full solidarity with the over 34,000 people martyred by Israel’s brutal genocide in Gaza. This encampment embodies our unwavering push for UW-Madison divestment from the colonization of Palestine,” the group said in a statement posted to Instagram on Monday.
The student group is calling for UW-Madison to do the following:
- “Divest from occupation, borders, and prisons from Palestine to Teejop, by divesting from all companies on the AFSC list
- “Disclose all of UW Foundation’s investments
- “Cut all ties with Israeli institutions, including the Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund, Mosse Graduate Exchange Fellowship, and study abroad programs in Israel
- “Call for an immediate & permanent ceasefire to end the ongoing genocide, and an end to the siege on Gaza
- “Get cops off campus
- “Stop the land grabs and cease expansion, in order to house our community”
Dahlia Saba is an organizer with Students for Justice in Palestine. She said the encampment is part of a much larger movement happening across the U.S.
“It is part of a broader push to get our institutions to finally end their complicity in the Israeli occupation,” said Saba.
She said their demands are simple.
“Specifically we demand that they divest their money, really it is our money from the companies, from the institutions that fund and support the ongoing horrors,” said Saba.
The interim UW Police Department (UWPD) police chief, Brent Plisch, and dean of students, Christina Olstad, released a joint statement expressing that the university "values the right to free expression and have consistently supported those on our campus and in our community who have chosen to exercise this right in a variety of ways, including through protest,” but reminded those who choose to protest to abide by university protest policies.
UW-Madison policy specifically prohibits camping on campus property.
Spectrum News reached out to UW-Madison asking how it would handle the encampment moving forward and has not received a response.
Christian Hansen is a concerned Madison resident who showed up on Monday to support the students.
“Honestly when I watch the news it makes me cry,” said Hansen. “ I called the CEO of Hillel and I said can we talk, I have been crying for about 20 minutes and I don’t know what else to do can we talk about this genocide issue.”
He said he hopes that large gatherings like this one bring peace and joy to the people in Gaza.
In case the protests get violent, he brought medical supplies for everyone involved.
“I don’t think anyone should be physically hurt or tear gassed or sprayed with anything, it is unnecessary and these fine people are going to be here for a while, they are locked down, they are going to occupy,” said Hansen.
UW-Milwaukee
Multiple student groups at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee also joined together on Monday and created an encampment on UW-Milwaukee's Falastin Lawn, outside Mitchell Hall. Groups involved include The UWM Popular University for Palestine Coalition, Students for a Democratic Society, Muslim Student Association, Young Democratic Socialists of America, Students for Justice in Palestine and Un-PAC UWM
"We have seen government officials and university administrators continue to maintain ties with the occupation of Palestine, even in the face of the genocide. Their complicity stands in direct conflict with the will of the students of UWM and the Milwaukee community at large. UWM has repeatedly dodged any accountability and refused to take action in ending ties to genocide," The UWM Popular University for Palestine Coalition said in a statement.
The group is calling for UW-Milwaukee officials to meet the following demands:
- "UWM must publicly disclose all financial assets including endowments, donations, mutual fund portfolios, and all other holdings and investments made by UWM Foundation
- "UWM must cease all business with any organization or corporation that profits from, or supports the occupation of Palestine
- "UWM must cease all collaboration with educational institutions in occupied Palestine, which would include but is not limited to: Ending all study abroad trips to the occupation, and removing any advertising of third party trips on university platforms. Ending all student exchange programs with universities in occupied Palestine. Ending all research partnerships with universities and other institutions in occupied Palestine
- "UWM must release a public statement condemning the ongoing genocide of Palestinians by the apartheid state of Israel - a regime responsible for the slaughter of over 40,000 civilians and the obliteration of every single university in Gaza"
"Supporters of both the Israeli and Palestinian causes have made their voices heard on our campus, as is their right guaranteed by the First Amendment. And UWM has been steadfast in respecting their right to free speech while also maintaining UWM’s core mission of providing a safe and welcoming environment for our students, employees and visitors. UWM sent a campuswide message Monday morning detailing safe and lawful protest guidelines," Angelica Duria, UW-Milwaukee's director of strategic communications, said.
The university said while it would work to protest First Amendment rights, it would also work to protect the "health, safety and welfare of our campus community and to making sure that people or groups exercising their right to speech don’t interfere with the free expression rights of others." UW-Milwaukee reminded protestors of its protest policies in its statement.
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