The pro-Palestine encampment demonstration has remained on Library Mall to the eleventh day.
After meeting with members of University of Wisconsin administrators Wednesday, protest organizers announced they had rejected UW’s counter-offer after their own ethical divestment proposal was not reviewed by UW administrators.
In a statement from UW Wednesday afternoon, administrators said they were open to a meeting with protest organizers Thursday, but emphasized it was an “urgent campus priority” for the encampment to end. A protest organizer said Wednesday afternoon they were open to further negotiations if administrators were “ready to meet in the middle.”
This is a developing story. See live updates below.
8:22 p.m.
A discussion about “militarism, ecocide, & the fight for Palestine” attracted roughly 20 listeners, where they listened to a speaker who explored topics including relating to the intersection of capitalism and climate issues. The speaker said natural resources are being targeted in Palestine during the ongoing conflict.
The next event is a Palestinian film screening at 9 p.m. Organizers said they do not have updates regarding negotiations with administration at this time. The Badger Herald will resume live updates on the encampment Friday morning.
— Reported by Digital News Editor Sami Bitat.
3:13 p.m.
Demonstrators have returned to the site of the encampment on Library Mall.
— Reported by Print News Editor Blake Thor.
3:08 p.m.
Demonstrators have begun walking back to Library Mall from Bascom Hall. They are chanting as they walk.
— Reported by Print News Editor Blake Thor.
3:03 p.m.
In a statement posted to the SJP UW–Madison Instagram, organizers said encampment safety officers had not been notified of three incidents that occurred near the site of the encampment May 1, May 7 and May 8 prior to a crime notification sent to students Thursday afternoon by the UW Police Department. The notification was sent to students under the Clery Act, a federal law that requires higher education institutions to disclose certain crime statistics to students.
In the statement, protest organizers affirmed safety as a priority of the demonstration, and requested they be notified of concerns as they arise.
“The Gaza Solidarity Encampment stays committed to the safety of students, allies, and the surrounding community regardless of whether they are supporters of the movement,” the statement said.
— Reported by Managing Editor Cat Carroll.
2:37 p.m.
The demonstrators have reached the top of Bascom Hill, and the “die-in” demonstration has begun.
— Reported by Print News Editor Blake Thor.
2:32 p.m.
Four demonstrators are standing on the bridge that connects the Mosse Humanities Building and Bascom Hill. The demonstrators are holding a banner with the names of infants who have been killed in Gaza written on it.
— Reported by Print News Editor Blake Thor.
2:28 p.m.
A group of 100 protesters has begun marching up Bascom Hill for a “die-in” demonstration. During the demonstration, protesters will lay outside Bascom Hall for 30 minutes, paint their hands red and read the names of Palestinian infants who have been killed in Gaza.
“We understand where our tuition dollars are going” an organizer said. “This is our way of acknowledging that.”
— Reported by Print News Editor Blake Thor.
2:18 p.m.
Event organizers read out a letter sent by presidents of Palestinian universities expressing solidarity with protesters at American institutions at the “Hands Off Rafah! Hands Off Students! Rally.”
“At a time when the voices of the oppressed are intentionally silenced, your solidarity serves as a beacon of hope,” the event organizer read from the letter. “Your actions are a resounding message that injustice and oppression will not be tolerated.”
The event organizer continued to read from the letter, where the presidents said they drew inspiration from the courage of “those who refuse and resist the continuing injustices of settler colonialism and military occupation.”
After finishing the letter, the organizer gave a speech, during which they decried UW’s complicity in the war in Gaza.
— Reported by Digital News Editor Sami Bitat.
2:09 p.m.
About 50 people, some of whom are in graduation regalia, have gathered at the center of Library Mall.
— Reported by Print News Editor Blake Thor.
12:10 p.m.
A teach-in on UW’s previous divestment from South African apartheid was held under “The People’s Kitchen.” A student speaker spoke to a group of ten protesters. The speaker said UW students have previously achieved divestment victory, citing a 1978 resolution by the Board of Regents.
The speaker also said referenced major public universities, such as the University of Michigan, which withdrew investments from Russia in 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine.
— Reported by Print News Editor Blake Thor.
8:07 a.m.
The encampment is still quiet this morning.
Encampment organizers have a series of programming scheduled for today, starting with a deescalation workshop at 10 a.m., a teach-in about UW’s divestment from The Apartheid in South Africa at noon and a teach-in about the history of student protest at UW at 1 p.m., according to an Instagram post from Students for Justice in Palestine UW–Madison.
There is also a rally scheduled for 2 p.m., for which organizers have asked protesters to arrive in graduation caps and gowns.
— Reported by Editor-in-Chief Celia Hiorns.
6:36 a.m.
The encampment is peaceful as Thursday morning brings more light rain.
— Reported by Editor-in-Chief Celia Hiorns.
