Students walked out of their classes Wednesday afternoon and gathered at Golda Meir Library to protest the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. Many students held giant banners and signs as they showed their solidarity with Palestine and Lebanon, while also showing their disagreement with the university’s response to the conflict in the Middle East.
The protesters posted the following post just a day later, where they marched after current University Chancellor Mark Mone after “silently demonstrating during UWM’s Employee Excellence Awards Ceremony while Chancellor Mone was on stage.”
In the video, Mone is seen being escorted out of the building by multiple campus police officers and driven away in a university police car. During the video, he was followed by protesters from the same student organizations as the earlier protests.
The organizations, as a part of the UWM Popular University for Palestine Coalition, have been protesting the university’s alleged ties to Israel, which erupted after a Feb. 9 sit-in, leading to the arrest of five students and later the encampment in front of Mitchell Hall in early May.
The university’s most recent statement regarding these protests was made on Oct. 2. In the statement released to students, UWM discussed the Hamas attacks on Israel and how UWM would be supporting students during this time.
The statement read the following:
“As we approach the one-year mark of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel and bear witness to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, we understand that this may be an emotionally challenging time for our campus community. Many students may be feeling deep personal loss, pain and distress. In moments like these, it is essential that we treat each other with empathy, compassion and understanding. We are dedicated to maintaining UWM as a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for everyone.”
The university has sent multiple statements and even had signs around campus about the rights of student protesters over the past months. No comment was sent to students regarding Wednesday’s protest.
“They want to scare students away from protesting,” said Audari Tamayo, a leader of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), at the Wednesday protest. “They want to scare students away from taking a stand.”
One of the other components that protestors were protesting not only today but in prior protests, is the name of the UWM Library. SDS and other student-led organizations want to change the name of the library due to it being named after Golda Meir, a UWM alumna and the former Prime Minister of Israel.
As outlined by a post on the SDS Instagram page, Meir made comments that the organization referred to as “textbook Zionist propaganda,” and said, “Such blatant denial of history shouldn’t be associated with our campus library.”
As the protest continued, protesters marched to Chapman Hall. Students, instructors and community members gave speeches about why students should continue to protest.
Crowds of students continued to march as their voices and chants could be heard throughout campus. The organization said they will continue to protest throughout the semester.