Following many pro-Palestinian protests across the country, the University of Utah students followed suit, setting up an encampment on Monday evening. There was no formal announcement that their emergency rally would become an encampment.
“Dear Universities: You can’t suspend the movement,” read Mecha’s post for the rally.
On April 18, over 100 protestors at Columbia University were arrested for their participation in a protest encampment on university grounds, sparking a wave of student-led pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the United States and worldwide.
“We stand in solidarity with students everywhere that are facing police and state repression and yet continuing the struggle,” Gabriela Merida said in a video promoting the rally.
Mecha organized to “demand that the University of Utah disclose, divest and cut all ties with Israel and war profiteering companies,” Merida said in Mecha’s video. The demands echo those of students nationwide calling on their universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel.
Mecha has specifically criticized the U’s affiliation with 47G, an organization that brings together “industry, academic and government leadership to advance the interest of aerospace, defense and cyber companies,” as is stated in the organization’s FAQs.
The University of Utah currently pays $50,000 in annual membership fees for a place on 47G’s board and will co-sponsor a summit with the organization this fall, in which they will be investing $100,000.
In an interview with the Chronicle, Merida said students are here today to demand the U divests and cuts all ties from Israel.
“They are capable of meeting the demands yesterday,” she said. “They can do this. They act like they can’t. They just want the money.”
The protest comes at the end of finals week and near graduation. Merida said they won’t stop until they see a free Palestine.
“We are going to continue to escalate until Palestine is free,” she said. “So not just until the university divests, but we’re going to continue to organize until we see a free Palestine.” Elizabeth Clement is a professor of history at the U. She said she was at the protest to show support for students.
“It’s my understanding that as a public university, we follow the First Amendment which means free speech, even if that speech is hate speech,” she said. “And I just want it to be clear what people can do in protests. And I think peaceful protests are fine and I think the university should allow peaceful protest.”
Capt. Jason Hinojosa of the University of Utah police said “we hope today’s protest will be peaceful.”
“As University Public Safety, we’re here to preserve the peace and safety of the campus, but also to protect people’s right to free expression,” he said. “As heated as the rhetoric has been about the war between Israel and Hamas, we are here, first and foremost, to preserve public safety, and then to make sure people are able to express their opinions.”
Since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7, over 34,000 Gazans have been killed. On Sunday night, Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on Rafah, a southern city in Gaza. The strikes left at least 22 people dead according to the Associated Press.
Israel has reportedly been working with mediators from Egypt and Qatar to develop a hostage release deal. The proposed deal includes a 40-day truce in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages, though it is unclear whether Hamas will accept the proposal.
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