Editor’s note: After publication of this story, Syracuse University Senior Vice President and Student Experience Officer Allen Groves released a statement about the encampment. It is included at the end of the story.
Students at Syracuse University raised an encampment in the center of campus Monday morning, demanding the university call for a ceasefire to the ongoing war in Gaza and halt financial investments in companies that contribute to the war effort.
The encampment joins dozens of others at college campuses across the U.S. Students have congregated at those campuses and claimed them as Palestinian liberation zones, standing in solidarity with victims of the violent conflict.
SU’s encampment was organized by a group of students and staff from SU and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and the SU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.
By 1 p.m. on Monday there were close to 70 students at Shaw Quadrangle, as well as 19 tents. Palestinian flags, a multi-part list of names of Palestinians killed in the conflict, and signs calling for Palestinian liberation were shown all around the encampment.
Students at the quad prepared a list of six demands to university leaders. Here is what they say:
- Students demand the university call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and Israel.
- Full disclosure and divestment of university contributions to companies tied to Israel and the supply of weapons to aid in the war efforts. Students list companies like Lockheed Martin and Boeing as examples.
- Termination of programs tied to Israeli academic institutions and arms of the country’s security apparatus, as well as withdrawal of honorary degrees issued to figures aiding Israel in the war effort. This includes an honorary diploma addressed to Malcolm Shaw, a lawyer who recently represented Israel on trial at the International Court of Justice regarding Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
- Protection of protesting students’ free speech rights.
- Protection of academic freedoms in the classroom, to allow students and staff to discuss the conflict without fear of retaliation.
- Reform the training Department of Public Safety officers receive to address perceived issues of discrimination against Muslim and Palestinian members of the campus community.
It is unclear at this time if the students plan to stay at the quad beyond Monday. Sara Jo Soldovieri, a graduate student at the university and a spokesperson for the students forming the encampment did not comment on whether the students will spend the night at the encampment.
Alondra Rosas, a student at the encampment, said she would spend the night. She said protesters would have a better chance at being taken seriously by the university if they spent more than one day at the quad.
Rosas held a sign that read “Mexicanos para y por Palestina,” roughly translating to “Mexicans in support of Palestine.”
So far, law enforcement has not responded to the quad. Syracuse University spokesman Keith Kobland said the university does not currently plan to take any action regarding the protest. Other encampments at nearby universities like Cornell in Ithaca saw significant law enforcement presence. Close to 25 students were cited for trespassing at Cornell for occupying one of the buildings back in March.
A similar encampment at Columbia University has received significant media coverage after the university’s president asked for officers from the New York Police Department to sweep the encampment in mid-April.
U.S. Rep. Brandon Williams, a Republican representing New York’s 22nd Congressional district, which includes Syracuse, took to X, formerly known as Twitter to call for students to, “Get the hell out of our community and never come back.”
Williams referenced a sign seen at the encampment that read “There is only one solution?? Infifad@ resolution.”
“That’s grounds enough right now to shutdown this protest,” Williams wrote in a post.
Williams further argued protestors were advocating for the murder of a “race of people.”
“It is hate speech,” he said in relation to the students’ demands.
The most recent conflict between Hamas and Israel began Oct. 7, after Hamas attacked Israel. According to estimates by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 1,200 people in Israel were killed during the Oct. 7 attacks.
Since then, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza while another 77,000-plus have been injured, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Read Allen Groves’ statement:
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
Earlier today, an encampment began to take shape on our Quad with approximately 50 students participating. Members of the Student Experience and Academic Affairs teams have engaged the participants and have advised them on what is permitted and what kind of activity, conduct or language is in violation of University policies. Thus far, the gathering on the Quad has been peaceful. We observed one poster with language the University deemed harassing and requested its removal, and that has occurred.
Syracuse University is committed to free expression and respects the rights of our community members to peacefully assemble and protest. That’s an important part of our history as a great university. What we won’t tolerate is speech or conduct that contains threats or targeted harassment as defined in our policies. The right to protest does not supersede the rights of community members or our obligation to fulfill our academic mission.
Many members of our community maintain deeply held positions on the complex conflict in the Middle East that are often hard to reconcile. What our community does agree upon is that we treat everyone with respect, dignity and grace. We are grateful for the work of so many to honor this commitment over the course of this academic year.
We will communicate additional updates as appropriate.
Sincerely,
Allen W. Groves
Senior Vice President and Chief Student Experience Officer
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