WISCONSIN — Protests over the Israel-Hamas war at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campuses have entered day two. 

At UW-Madison, hundreds of protestors remained in an encampment overnight.

A protester told Spectrum News 1 that talks with university officials did not go well.

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”

The university said it will not speak with protesters about their demands until protesters take down their tents. Protesters instead put up more tents overnight.

“Yes, the university has asked that we take down the tents. This seems pretty disingenuous because they have literally refused to seriously negotiate with us until these tents have gone up. As soon as these tents have gone up, they have started talking to us and the first thing they asked us, is for us to take down those tents,” Dahlia Saba, an organizer with Students for Justice in Palestine, said. “So, for us, this is a way for the university to not be able to ignore us. And so that’s why protesters have decided that they’re willing to stay overnight as long as is needed.”

As of Tuesday morning, over two dozen tents were still set up. By Tuesday at 4:45 p.m., there were more tents set up than there were the previous day. 

In a statement Monday night, UW-Madison said it was “committed to protecting the right to free expression, including protest, within the boundaries of state law and campus policies. Within the time, place and manner restrictions defined by law, students and other members of our community may assemble, carry signs, chant, march, and make speeches to give voice to issues they deem important. Peaceful protest is a hallmark of UW–Madison history.”

UW-Madison officials noted that the tents set up by protesters were a violation of the UW System Administrative Code.

“This provision of state law was enacted by the legislature and includes limits on the types of activities permitted on campus,” officials said in a statement.

Protesters at UW-Madison told Spectrum News 1 on Tuesday that they had no plans to leave until their demands are meant. 

On Monday, protesters said they were worried the encampment would be shut down. 

“There was warnings of a police presence and a warning that they would come to the camp and disrupt it," Jules said. Protesters formed a tight circle around the encampment, but said police never came to break it up. 

"We were able to hold things down with our community support and power and we were able to last through the night and still be here today," Jules said. 

Jules is a Jewish student at UW-Madison and a supporter of pro-Palestinian protests. For safety reasons, Jules asked that Spectrum News 1 not publish her last name. 

"I knew that this was an issue that I had to stand up for, especially as a Jewish student on campus with family who have died in the Holocaust," she said. 

UW-Milwaukee also released a statement Monday evening calling the encampments on its campus unlawful, as they violate the law and campus policy.

“The vast majority of protests on UWM’s campus during the last several months have been peaceful and lawful, and UWM is steadfast in respecting the right to free speech. At the same time, it is critical that we maintain a safe and welcoming environment for our students, employees and visitors,” UW-Milwaukee said in a statement.

Protesters at UW-Milwaukee have asked for 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”

UW-Milwaukee responded to those demands, saying, in-part:

“First, UWM has expressed in campus messages and meetings with students that we share in the heartbreak felt by our community and many around the world. We reiterate our call for an end to the violence by joining the White House and international leaders in calling for a release of the hostages and a ceasefire. We say this knowing that, as a public university, we have no direct ability to impact the outcomes of the war in Gaza. We also know that many of our Jewish, Palestinian, Muslim and Arab American community members are suffering as they watch loved ones directly and indirectly harmed by this war.

“We want to reiterate that UWM has no investments in weapons manufacturers. Unlike some private institutions that have investments, UWM is funded with a combination of state funding, tuition, program revenue and grants. The UWM Foundation is a separate legal entity from UWM, and UWM cannot control the foundation’s investments. Regardless, those investments are through mutual funds. The foundation cannot disinvest from individual companies within those funds.

“UWM has also been called to suspend any academic relationship with institutions or entities in Israel. While UWM does not have any active study abroad programs with universities in Israel, prohibiting faculty from engaging with any institution or country would infringe on their academic freedom. Although we understand the protesters’ desire for the safety and peace of all those in Gaza, stifling academic freedom or free speech would not accomplish that goal.”

As of 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, campus police at UW-Milwaukee have not taken any action to remove protesters. 

Read UW-Madison’s full statement, here. 

Read UW-Milwaukee’s full statement, here.