DENVER — Sunday night marks the fourth night of a solidarity encampment for Gaza on Auraria's Tivoli Quad, where protesters have a list of demands.
Students are urging the University of Colorado (CU) to divest from corporations that operate in Israel, reject grants and funding from organizations that have military ties with Israel, as well as shut down study abroad programs in the Middle Eastern country. They're also asking that CU Denver fully disclose its financial investments and are demanding Chancellor Michelle Marks meet with student organizers and discuss a plan to implement the aforementioned demands.
Khalid Hamu, a college senior, has slept at the encampment every night since Thursday.
“They like to say that protesters who fight for Palestine are Palestinian. So, I guess I do have that connection there," Hamu said about his connection to the cause. "Our demands have not been met. So, it's important to keep escalating until we see just change.”
Those with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have expressed their concerns about the encampments leading to an increase in antisemitism on college campuses.
“There are people out there that are passionate in their hate of war. They don't want war to go on. And they believe that there is a humanitarian crisis that we all want to see come to an end. Unfortunately, they've been aiming their angst, I think, at the wrong people. The perpetrator of this is Hamas, the terrorists. But all they seem to be arguing about is Israel on campuses today," ADL Director of the Mountain States Region Scott Levin said.
Levin said he believes in the right to protest but is concerned about language being used at the encampments.
“To sit there and allege against Jewish people, who have been the targets of the worst genocide in history with the Holocaust, that they're committing a genocide, it just feels terrible. And it's making Jews on campus, and Jews in the entire country, feel vulnerable at this time," Levin said. “To state that you're against the policies of Israel is not antisemitism, but to say that it has no right to exist, that is antisemitic."
Levin said antisemitism will always exist unless there is work done to combat it.
“The First Amendment gives you the right to speak, but you should also use your own right to listen," Levin said.
The demonstrators at Auraria on Sunday said hateful messages are not the point of the protest. Hamu said they aim to foster an environment where Jewish allies are welcomed.
“Antisemitism is a very real thing in America," Hamu said. “That's not something we tolerate. And I know it's something that has been used to try to delegitimize the calls for an end to the genocide, which is what we want... Students are demanding that they see a day where they see justice, that they see progressive change, so that they can see a better world.”
Auraria Campus released a statement Sunday, saying the encampment is a violation of campus policy, making it an unlawful assembly. The full statement is copied below.
Auraria Campus Statement for April 28, 2024 The Auraria Campus and its partner institutions strongly support the right to peacefully demonstrate as long as it's done so in accordance with the law and campus policies. Recent demonstrators have established an encampment, which violates campus policy prohibiting camping and has the potential to cause numerous safety, accessibility, and public health concerns. Recent demonstrators include our students, community members, and numerous external community members. Once the encampment was established, it became a violation of campus policy and, therefore, unlawful assembly. Leadership met with the protesters in the weeks leading up to the demonstration and during the demonstration, several times to discuss their demands and to educate them on the no-camping policy. After numerous attempts at communication and diplomacy and warnings to remove the tents, including sharing the policy in writing, the campers continued to refuse to comply. At that point, police asked campers to remove the tents and leave the encampment, and they arrested those not in compliance for trespassing. The encampment remains confined to the open space in front of the Tivoli Student Union, and the campus is open. Auraria institutions and law enforcement agencies continue to closely monitor the event, with the health and safety of our students, employees, and visitors as the top priority.
