Supporters establish Gaza Solidarity Encampment on the quad
Gaza solidarity encampment sets up on the quad
Day 1: The pro-Palestinian effort issues six demands of SU’s administration.
Editor’s Note: This is a developing story and will be updated.
Following campus sit-in protests at dozens of other colleges across the nation, pro-Palestinian supporters formed an encampment Monday on the Shaw Quad near Hendricks Chapel.
The Students for Justice in Palestine announced six demands of Syracuse University’s administration including publicly calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War and fully disclosing any investments the university has with pro-Israeli entities.
By Monday evening, there were at least 50 SU and ESF students, faculty, staff and alumni— many donning masks — gathered amid about a dozen tents on the western end of the quad.
Dozens of signs were posted throughout the area and a banner that stretched several feet listing the names of victims of the Israel-Hamas war. According to the United Nations, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 34,000 people.
SU students gathered on the steps Hendricks Chapel to observe the encampment, as others routinely passed through quad on the last day of spring semester classes.
Protestors declined to comment, only saying they were still getting organized and had food, clothing and supplies to stay for at least a week. As of Monday evening, there were no reported confrontations and the presence of Department of Public Safety was only obvious in adjacent parking lots.
A SU Student Experience office staffer gave protestors copies of the campus disruption policy that detailed prohibited acts such as inciting violence and interfering with university activity.
“Students have the right to assemble in an orderly manner and engage in peaceful protest, demonstration and picketing, which does not disrupt the functions of the university,” the statement read, quoting the university’s Statement of Students Rights and Responsibilities.
Fliers from the encampment’s Logistics and Resources Team read, “And please, remember the goal is a Free Palestine.”
Just before 7 p.m. Monday, SU’s Chief Student Experience Officer Allen W. Groves sent an email to the student body, faculty and staff titled, “Expectations for Demonstrations and Protests.”
“Earlier today, an encampment began to take shape on our Quad with approximately 50 students participating,” Groves wrote. “Thus far, the gathering on the quad has been peaceful.”
According to Groves, one demonstrator’s sign was “deemed harassing” and was removed.
“Syracuse University is committed to free expression and respects the rights of our community members to peacefully assemble and protest,” Groves stated in the email. “What we won’t tolerate is speech or conduct that contains threats or targeted harassment as defined in our policies.”
The Student Experience office will send updates when appropriate, the email said.
Reactions Roll In
As the encampment organized on Monday, social media posts offering stances from different campus and local entities started appearing online.
Several social media users expressed support in the comments of the Palestine Solidarity Collective Instagram with sentiments like, “Finally!! I have been waiting for SU to join the fight!” and “So proud of ya’ll! Let alumni know how we can support.”
U.S. Rep. Brandon Williams, who represents New York’s 22nd congressional district, including Onondaga County, Oneida County, Madison County and parts of Oswego County, posted the following on X.
The Syracuse Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Syracuse Palestine Solidarity Collective responded to Williams via Instagram Monday evening.
“Let’s be clear: Brandon Williams does not speak for us,” the publisher wrote. “The Syracuse community — of which students and faculty are part — has repeatedly called for a Free Palestine. We support the students, and we demand an end to genocide.”
Around 9 p.m. on Monday night, the Syracuse University Student Association voted in a 17-1 decision to pass a bill titled, “Resolution in Solidarity with SU Encampment and Condemnation of Antisemitism.”
The resolution included nine sections outlining students’ right to freedom of speech and assembly and the condemnation of hate of any kind on campus.
Six Demands Announced
The SU Encampment Group organizers announced these six demands of SU’s administration:
Demand 1: Support for a Ceasefire
“We call on Syracuse University to publicly support a permanent ceasefire in Palestine and the protection of civilian lives amidst the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza.”
Demand 2: Ethical Investments
The university should fully disclose any affiliations with entities supporting the occupation in Palestine, including companies with Israeli ownership and those implicated in supporting the supply of weapons like Lockheed Martin and Boeing. This should be followed with a commitment to divest from those companies.
Demand 3: Ethical Collaborations and Honoring
The university should immediately terminate all ties with Israeli academic and security institutions, including study abroad programs and discontinue programs involving members of the Israeli military and intelligence. Additionally, any affiliations with Israeli universities supporting genocidal practices should be boycotted.
Demand 4: Protection of Student Rights
Seek assurances that the rights of Syracuse University’s community members to advocate for just causes will be protected, including amnesty for protesters and robust support for freedom of speech and assembly. The university must also address instances of racism on campus without promoting essentialist religious terms.
Demand 5: Protection of Academic Freedom
The university should uphold the principle of academic freedom, allowing discourse on Palestine and Israel without fear of censorship or retribution and defending faculty and community members doxxed for their critical work.
Demand 6: Addressing DPS Racism
The university should initiate immediate reform within the Department of Public Safety to address issues of Islamophobia, racism and anti-Palestinian bias.
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