Editors Note: The article has been edited since publication to move a quote that distracted from the purpose of the story — to detail this specific protest.
Students gathered in Red Square for a protest held by WWU Divest Apartheid on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 2 p.m. Many embraced each other, as they listened to speakers recite speeches, poems and information regarding the movement’s actions and calls for financial clarity against the Western Washington University administration.
The protest then marched to Old Main, with chants calling for President Sabah Randhawa and other board members to divest from Israeli institutions.
The protest was led by students in solidarity with Palestine, which faces continued attacks from Israel -- which began in retaliation to Hamas' attack on Oct. 7.
“This is a colonizer, an apartheid state, murdering people, doing reproductive genocide, starving people to death, it’s not one side fighting another side,” Kenzie said, a member of Students for Justice in Palestine who asked to keep their last name anonymous due to fear of academic repercussions. “This isn’t about Hamas, it’s about ethnic cleansing.”
The Fisher Fountain in Red Square was lined with children’s shoes, boots and biographies, according to Kenzie, the shoes represent the children killed in Gaza.
“We had a lot of action on campus in the springtime and people were very mobilized,” Kenzie said. “We need to sustain that pressure. Liberation isn’t a short-term thing; it’s a long-term process.”
Whether due to rainy weather or the transition into the beginning of fall quarter, Tuesday’s peaceful protest garnered a smaller turnout than a similar event held in spring.
Mosley-Jackson Learner, a member of WWU Divest Apartheid, said the focus is to always draw attention to atrocities happening in Gaza, adding that people must not forget and they must keep showing up.
“The point we’re trying to draw is, what's happening over there is directly related to how we are navigating the world,” said Bethlehem Girma, an organizer and member of WWU Divest Apartheid. “Those of us living in the heart of the empire, the United States of America, have a direct role in what’s happening.”
One speaker, Jasmine Welaye, serves as one of two student representatives on the Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing. Welaye taught Arabic chants to the crowd on the steps of Old Main — translating roughly to “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” according to Welaye.
The protest is part of a planned Week of Action run by WWU Divest Apartheid, Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace and the Arab Student Association. According to the WWU Divest Apartheid’s Instagram, the week’s agenda includes a benefit concert, documentary screening and discussions.
Austin Wright (he/him) is a campus news reporter for The Front this quarter. He is a third-year journalism/news ed major. When he’s not reporting, you can find him playing ultimate frisbee, watching soccer or hiking. You can reach him at austinwright.thefront@gmail.com.
Julia Hawkins (she/her) is a opinions reporter for The Front this quarter. She is a fourth-year journalism/public relations major. Outside of reporting, Julia enjoys hanging out in The Planet office, baking and asking random people to pet their dogs. You can reach her at juliahawkins.thefront@gmail.com.
