The UA chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine held the protest as part of what it’s calling “Israeli Apartheid Week,” which it scheduled to fall during the Jewish holiday of Passover.
UA Vice President and Chief of Safety Steve Patterson had sent an email to the campus community saying his office was “actively monitoring” the activist week.
“Many students, parents and members of the campus community have expressed concerns about safety particularly because of the passionate and divergent beliefs held by many on this topic,” Patterson wrote last week.
Despite those concerns, the protest stayed relatively peaceful.
As one man, draped in an Israeli flag, moved around the area, he was repeatedly surrounded by pro-Palestinian protestors. At another point there was a small, near-physical conflict between a cameraman for a news outlet and two pro-Palestinian protestors. It was unclear what caused the conflict and what news outlet the reporter was from; they soon left the scene.
Most of the student speakers at the protest used only their first names and covered their faces, saying they feared retaliation. Similarly, the pro-Palestine protestors interviewed by the Arizona Daily Star refused to give their names.
The Israel-Hamas war was sparked by the unprecedented Oct. 7 raid by Hamas into Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages. Israel says the militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
According to Gaza health officials the war has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, around two-thirds of them children and women, the Associated Press reports.
“Israel bombs, the U.S.A. pays, how many kids have you killed today,” protestors chanted at the UA Thursday.
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” they continued. Some Jewish people who are pro-Israel view the chant as antisemitic.
A man wears a “Stand with Israel” flag draped over his shoulders along the mall on the campus of the University of Arizona during a Students for Justice in Palestine protest on Thursday.
Though they first gathered on the UA Mall, protest leaders ended up marching the group around Old Main and towards the Student Union Memorial Center. It was about noon, meaning many students had to walk through the protest in order to enter the building and eat.
“We cannot allow ourselves to be silenced when we are protesting genocide. Shame on our universities,” one of the speakers told the crowd.
Students and Tucsonans gathered to protest at the University of Arizona to free Palestine. Video by Tim Steller, Arizona Daily Star
“It really boggles my brain that Israeli Zionists across campus are allowed to operate freely without fear of censorship or suspension,” one activist, who did not give her name and covered her face, said to the crowd. “But if I even wanted to make a Palestinian statement I would be flagged for antisemitism.”
Over 200 gathered to protest at the University of Arizona against Israel's war actions. Video by Ellie Wolfe / Arizona Daily Star
University campuses around the country have hosted protests. Encampments, or tent communities on campus grounds, have been created to support the pro-Palestinian movement. More than 100 demonstrators were arrested last week at Columbia University.
One student at the UA protest, who would not give her name because she said she worries about “retaliation from the university,” said she doesn’t think UA students would start an encampment.
“Arizona is not a liberal enough state,” she said. “Also, it’s very hot.”
The protest formally ended at 12:30 pm, though some people stuck around to mingle afterwards. About 15 pro-Israel students stood around 20 feet away from the protest, holding Israeli flags.
“I’m from Israel so I am here to represent my people,” said UA senior Gal Melman, a pro-Israel protestor. “That’s the most important thing. We’re here to have a dialogue and conversation with people.”
