Around 60 students protested and shared their demands with the university through an “open letter” regarding the war in Gaza and Ohio State’s investments in Israel. Credit: Nora Igelnik | Lantern Reporter
The National Day of Action, a walkout organized by the national chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, led to students sharing demands with the university related to their investments in Israel and response to the war in Gaza.
Around 60 people started at the Ohio Union before marching along North High Street, led by the Ohio State chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. Chants during the march included “Free, free Palestine,” “Resistance is justified when people are occupied,” “Justice is our demand, no peace on stolen land” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The letter directed at Ohio State demanded the university to release a statement acknowledging loss of life in Gaza, recognize an increase in attacks against students opposed to the war, end educational partnerships with Israeli academic institutions and divest from corporations operating in Israel. Students carried a banner that said “Open Letter to Our University” and encouraged participants to sign the banner as a means of endorsement.
Jineen Musa, a second-year in health information management systems and outreach director for SJP, said the organization is tired of the lack of response from the university.
“We’ve been meeting with them for four months now, and we haven’t seen any of our demands being met,” Musa said.
Malak Hamed, a third-year in psychology and secretary for the group, said the ideal outcome of the walkout is to have Ohio State listen.
“We’ve had countless meetings, private [meetings] — we’ve had demonstrations,” Hamed said. “Unfortunately, we really haven’t gotten the demands that we want.”
University spokesperson Ben Johnson said Ohio State “supports the right of our students to peacefully express their views and to speak out about issues that are important to them.”
During the course of the walkout, protesters stopped inside of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering building at 140 W. 19th Ave. Police officers told them not to chant because they were in an academic building.
“We’re not allowed to chant in this building because it’s a disruption of the academic process,” Hana El Nemr, a second-year in political science and journalism, said during a speech inside the Materials Science and Engineering building. “And with that, I think we’ve lost sight of what a protest is meant to do. What do we do when we are protesting something? We are disrupting every process in sight because nothing, and I tell you, nothing matters more than recognition of what is happening to the Palestinian people.”
According to Ohio State Police Deputy Chief Dennis Jeffrey, protesters could face arrest if they attempted to enter another academic building. An arrest van parked behind the protesters when they stood across from Blackburn House on Woodruff Avenue.
