GREEN BAY (NBC26) — A small group of students are gathering — all in support of Palestine as rallies and demonstrations continue on college campuses nationwide.
- Video shows the group of students gathering and holding signs in support for the Palestinian people.
- For almost four hours, the names of children killed in the War in Gaza were read aloud.
- The demonstration was held by the Students for a Democratic Society Green Bay chapter. Students say they have had talks with the administration since the fall semester.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Since 1:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, Radwa Farghali, a junior at UWGB, read a long list of names of children who died in the War in Gaza.
"We just want to be heard," Farghali said. "They all had hopes, they all had dreams, they all had families and it's just heartbreaking to say the least."
Farghali was joined by several students on UW-GB's campus in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Organized by the Green Bay chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, students tell me this is one of a few locations where they've demonstrated.
"Being here shows that you don't have to be Muslim, you don't have to be Arab," Farghali said. "This is a humanitarian issue, this is a human issues not a what ethnicity you are issue."
The demonstration comes during a heated time for many college campuses nationwide as pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel rallies resulted in more than 1,000 arrests in the past two weeks.
The students at UWGB have three demands for the school:
- Divest from military contractors
- Financial Transparency
- Creating mental health initiatives for immigrant students.
Students say the administration has been receptive to their demands.
"We want your freedom and we will do what we can where we are to show that and to do that," Farghali said.
I reached out to the administration and UWGB police on how they handle demonstrations on campus and their awareness of the situation.
The university told me no one would be able to talk with me but said in a statement:
"At this time, we will not have someone from the University or University Police available to speak to the media. Our students have done an excellent job of sharing their plans and information with the Dean of Students, University Union Events staff and University Police regarding this event."
University police told me that police would only be present if needed, but overall, they are not expecting any conflict with the students.
Students say they plan to continue to raise awareness on social media and will continue taking action next school year.
