IOWA CITY, Iowa — Students and community members gathered at the University of Iowa's Pentacrest on Friday, May 3 to show their support for Palestine and protest against the Israel-Hamas war.
The event was organized by Iowa City Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and two more demonstrations are set to take place Saturday and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. Organizers noted in an Instagram post that the demonstrations are not an encampment, which have been prominent on college campuses across the country the past few weeks. SJP says they are not affiliated with the university.
Friday's demonstration started around noon and opened with a land acknowledgment, a formal statement made to recognize the Indigenous people who lived on the land prior to colonization. Organizers scheduled various trainings and speeches in an effort to educate attendees on the Israel-Hamas war, along with the decades-long conflict between Israel and Palestine. Multiple prayers, study breaks and live music are also scheduled.
"We should let Israel know that they do not have the support of the young people in this country, and we are going to push our government to change course," one activist said. "We are not going to support them blindly."
Activists are calling for the University of Iowa to divest from companies supporting Israel, as well as disclosing its finances. They also showed support for the encampments set up across the country.
"Do you hope to see the University of Iowa and other universities across the country divest from companies supporting Israel?" News 8's Joe McCoy asked one demonstrator. "Absolutely. I mean, I think it's important that not only on a university level but in our day-to-day lives," they responded. "We are encouraging everyone to engage in what is called the BDS movement: Boycott, divest, and sanctions."
More than 2,000 people have been arrested at over 40 colleges for protesting against the Israel-Hamas war and asking universities to divest their funding. The student protest movement began April 17 at Columbia University.
More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there. Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Oct. 7, when Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages in an attack on southern Israel.
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