UNC Students Collaborate for Change in Gaza

If a student were to walk through campus in late April of last year, they would have been met with a group of masked students with anti-war signs in an encampment near McKee Hall. The scene seems to be straight out of the '60s or '70s, mirroring the Vietnam War campus protests almost exactly. The only difference is that it is no longer for Vietnam, but rather for the Palestinian genocide. 

This conflict began Oct. 7th, 2023 after a Hamas-led military group led an attack on Israel that resulted in the death of 1,195 Israeli people, over 800 of which were civilians. Days later Israel launched an extensive bombing campaign across Palestine in civilian areas and began its invasion of Gaza on the Oct. 27.

This launched the Gaza War. Since the start of the war, Israel had quickly lost sympathy from many, as their efforts to “exterminate Hamas” has resulted in the deaths of over 46,000 Palestinian civilians, over half of which were women and children, along with the deaths of multiple hostages, the refusal to meet any ceasefires until January of this year, and the complete destruction of over two thirds of all structures in Gaza– including over half of all Gaza's universities being destroyed. Israel had been further criticized for committing alleged war crimes, including blocking humanitarian aid, killing medics and journalists, and threatening multiple other countries in the process. 

According to the United Nations Special Committee, the methods used by Israel during the war were consistent with genocide. The Amnesty International organisation stated that Israel was committing genocide against palestinians under the guise of “killing Hamas”. A local group, Greeley Students for Palestine, have shared these beliefs. 

Greeley Students for Palestine, hereafter referred to as GSP, was created in April of 2024 and made its debut on campus with an anti-war protest and encampment. The purpose of the GSP, as described in their mission statement, is “to raise awareness for the genocide occurring against Palestinians.” 

GSP is one of multiple anti-war groups found in colleges and universities across Colorado as a result of the war in Gaza.

“Greeley Students for Palestine work to raise awareness for the genocide occuring against Palestinians,” the group said in an official statement. “We aim to do this through educating ourselves and the community on colonialism/imperialism and its effects, as well as fundraising and mutual aid.” 

GSP is described as being anti-genocide as well. The group regularly interacts with the student body through fundraising events such as clothing drives and food stalls to raise money for Palestinians who have been displaced due to the war. The GSP has gone on record to state that although they do not support Hamas, they find that Israel has taken the attack as an excuse to attack Palestinian citizens and not terrorists. 

“... if one group of people acts against you, why decide to execute the whole country?” GSP representatives said. “Israel grossly overreacted and used this one action to enact the final step in Palestinian genocide.” 

GSP was founded in late April of 2024 and made its debut on campus with an encampment that lasted multiple days. The purpose of the encampment was to not only raise awareness of the genocide, but also to call for the university administration to also call for a ceasefire. 

Photos from the April 2024 encampment and protest hosted by the GSP (Photos Courtesy of Greg Egbert)

The group is not a school-sponsored organization like other clubs on campus. In fact, there is almost no information on how to join the group that can be found publicly. If a person wishes to meet with the group, it is best to either message them on Instagram or meet with a person who is already a member. GSP representatives stated that they try to keep the group “low-key” in order to avoid university conflict, and cited that multiple students at other universities have faced expulsion and violence over this matter. 

In Oct. of this year, the GSP created another campus protest. Near the McKee Breezeway, students joined in a vigil to mourn over one year of violence and genocide against Palestinians. The students wrote the names of hundreds of Palestinian victims on the sidewalk with chalk and spoke out against the genocide. 

The GSP has, as of now, moved away from campus-wide protests and towards a more active approach in their goals. The group is currently primarily working to directly help Palestinians through their fundraising and administration interactions. 

GSP has called for the UNC administration to issue a statement against Israel and American involvement in Palestine. 

“UNC has Rowing Not Drifting at this university… Our university specifically stating that they’re a champion for liberation and ignoring the palestinian liberation by not condemning Israels active genocide right now kind of shows that they don’t care about any of the rest of our liberation,” said Yadriel Bocanegra, a longstanding member of GSP who has been interacting with the University administration.

The "Rowing Not Drifting" plan was enacted by the university's President Andy Feinstein, and aims to work towards inclusivity and fostering a student community. A major part of "Rowing Not Drifting" is encouraging students to speak against injustice and have nuanced conversations through a variety of viewpoints. 

According to the GSP, the university’s involvement in the genocide runs deeper than simply speaking out, but also holding other universities to the same standard. 

“A lot of universities do end up funding companies who sell weapons to Israel,” said Andrés Martinez, a freshman student who joined GSP at the start of the Fall 2024 semester. “Having universities not associated with zionist organizations or those who are in support of them is a step in the right direction.” 

Martinez went on to explain how they believe that university donors and associates can influence a university’s opinion regarding certain political events, specifically citing many engineering schools and their ties to Lockheed Martin, a American defense and aerospace company that has a long list of controversies regarding human rights. 

The university has denied having donors that influence university opinion. 

The GSP has urged UNC administration to help Palestinian refugee scholars complete their university through UNC’s online pathway. There have been notable issues with attempting to do this, primarily being the issue of transcripts.

Since the vast majority of Palestine has been destroyed, many transcripts and evidence of academics have been lost or destroyed– both the administration and GSP have acknowledged this issue, although it is unclear how to proceed. 

“We believe in and fully support free speech, academic freedom and freedom of expression and encourage people from across our university community to come together in a civil environment to discuss the differences of opinion,” said UNC in a statement regarding the issues. 

A representative of UNC's administration explained that as a general practice, the university does not make official statements regarding world issues unless they directly affect the students and university. 

The GSP has argued that the issue has affected the university and students, and that their existence is proof of that. 

“UNCO must speak out against acts of genocide, violations and international human rights…” said GSP in an official letter to UNC administration back in 2024. The university has made no public official statement regarding the group as of now. 

There have been issues between UNC and GSP, specifically concerning communication between the students and administration in a formal meeting. 

Currently, the UNC administration is focused on monitoring the rapid changes coming from the federal and state government following the Trump presidency and administration.

That being said, GSP and the university have come to an agreement to meet on March 6. The meeting will be hosted between several GSP representatives and the Provosts Office and Communications to discuss UNC’s role in speaking against genocide.