Northwestern, University of Chicago students continue encampment for Palestine, join protestors nationwide
EVANSTON, Ill. — Students at Northwestern University are on their third day protesting Israel’s war on Gaza with hundreds of camps positioned across Deering Meadow on the school’s Evanston campus.
Protests also took place at the University of Chicago’s Hyde Park campus.
Demonstrators called on university leaders and listed their three demands – divest and cut ties with Israeli institutions; disclose and be transparent about university investments in weapons manufacturers; to repair the injustices it perpetuates, such as committing to a program of reparations for Palestinians.
The students are the latest to join the nationwide university, anti-war protests against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Over 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
Friday morning, demonstrators practiced how to respond to confrontations with campus police—locking arms around the tent, much like protestors across the country.
Student organizers say the encampments will stay until Northwestern stops supporting Israeli apartheid, protects student liberties and safety, ends partnership that legitimize genocide and disclose and divest from war.
“The ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocide of the people of Gaza has made Palestinians victims of what is one of the most brutal war crimes in modern history. Because of this, Northwestern students, faculty, and staff are putting their bodies, education, and jobs on the line to stand with the Palestinian people.”
Northwestern confirmed that they will allow students to continue to gather if they took the tents down and stopped using bullhorns and speakers, and organizers declined the offer.
In the past day, many more camps were set up with supporters honking for Palestine, dropping off food and other essentials for students participating in the protest.
University officials confirmed no arrests were made since the start.
Northwestern is just one of the many universities that are swept with pro-Palestinian protests:
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Columbia University
University of Texas at Austin
University of Southern California
The Ohio State University
Harvard University
California State Polytechnic University
Emerson College
New York University
Yale University
University of California, Berkely
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.