More than 300 pro-Palestinian protesters march on University of Missouri campus
A protest of the Israel-Hamas war Monday on the University of Missouri campus drew hundreds of people to the cause that is roiling campuses nationwide.
The MU protest went ahead without incident.
Organized by a coalition of student and community groups, between 300 and 500 students and community members marched on campus, chanting as they went. The groups included Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine, Missourians for Justice in Palestine, the Mizzou Muslim Student Organization, Mid-Missouri Peaceworks and Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation.
Organizers said they have been demonstrating every Saturday on campus since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Some of the chants included:
"Biden, Biden, pick a side. Ceasefire, not genocide."
"Israel, USA, how many kids did you kill today?"
"No more weapons. No more war. Peace is what we're fighting for."
The group marched from Lowry Mall to Jesse Hall with some speaking as they stopped at the entrance to Peace Park.
Students need to hold the government and institutions responsible for their actions, said Lima Sherzad, president of the Mizzou Muslim Students Organization.
"Student activism is an integral part of American history," said Sherzad, a junior.
Student protests have made a difference during the Vietnam War and opposing apartheid in South Africa, Sherzad said after the protest.
"Students have a lot of power with their words and their actions," she said.
What is happening in Gaza has parallels with American history, said Ian De Smet, with Mizzou Young Democratic Socialists of America.
"We used stolen indigenous land and stolen immigrant labor," De Smet, referring to Native Americans and people taken from Africa to be enslaved in the U.S.
He referred to heavy-handed police at protests elsewhere and made note of the May, 4, 1970, shooting of student protesters at Kent State University.
An MU police officer introduced himself to an organizer of the Monday protest, telling her he was there to keep them safe.
Ilay Kielmanowicz was one of four Jewish students conducting counter-protests as the other protest marched by. There were no encounters with each other.
"I'm absolutely disgusted," Kielmanowicz said of the pro-Palestinian protest.
The protesters don't care about the people Hamas has as hostages, he said.
"Long-term peace has to come with Hamas completely dismantled," he said.
Some organizers estimated the number of protesters at 500, but the university's number was 330.
The university is proud to have an environment where different viewpoints can be debated, MU spokesman Christian Basi wrote in an email.
"At Mizzou, free speech is a core value that enables our community members to engage in the free exchange of ideas. It is a responsibility that we take seriously," Basi wrote. "We also expect those on our campus to exercise their free speech rights in a respectful manner that is mindful of the diverse perspectives and experiences of our community."
Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on X at @rmckinney9.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Hundreds of people march at Mizzou in favor of Palestinian rights
