On Tuesday, WXXI News posted an article about pro-Palestine protests at the University of Rochester. The protesters have set up a camp at the University. The students are calling for a cease fire in Gaza.
This is a screenshot of the picture from the article:
Notice that the tents are all the same. Who paid for the tents? Did the students just coincidentally happen to shop at the same store and all buy the same tent?
The article notes:
UPDATE: The encampment at the University of Rochester has relocated to the Eastman Quadrangle out front of Rush Rhees Library.
In recent social media and other online posts the student activists claim to have won concessions from UR to academically divest from Israel. Such action might address things like study abroad or research partnerships. However, in a statement Thursday, a university spokesperson disputed those claims, writing:
“University of Rochester leaders need to provide clarification on the details of a meeting yesterday between student protesters and University administrators regarding protester demands. The students were demanding (1) a cease-fire call and (2) divestment from Israeli institutions. University administrators in fact made no commitment to either demand, but in particular made no commitment regarding a University divestment from any academic programs or ties with Israel, as is being inaccurately reported on some social media channels. University administrators made clear that neither demand was on the table. There has not and will not be any commitments about future academic divestment of University programs in Israel.”
…By midday about 25 students were present, studying for classes on laptops, bringing cases of water bottles, and stringing up signs and banners like: “UR complicit in genocide,” and “We demand a ceasefire now.” There’s the occasional sound of a drum, sometimes music.
Most students declined to be interviewed, except Palestinian student Omar Darwesh who said the protest is a moral obligation.
“Today actually marks the 200th day of this genocide, and we’re here to say no more,” said Darwesh, a senior studying sciences and public health. His family is from the West Bank.
Why is what Israel is doing a genocide when Hamas is still holding innocent civilians as hostages and killed hundreds of innocent civilians on October 7th? Gaza was an autonomous area under its own government previous to October 7th. That was the equivalent of a two-state solution. We see how that worked out. Why would we do it again?