Amongst calls for divestment, protestors for Palestine hosted a campus walkout and sit-in at the JDUC.
Organized by Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), a student-run organization that advocates for Palestinian human rights, the Sept. 27 protest drew about 60 participants to the corner of University Ave. and Union St. in support of Palestine.
Earlier in the morning, SPHR set up bulletin boards with information about divestment, along with a booth that distributed pamphlets and collected signatures. Organizers urged students to sign the petition calling on Queen’s to divest from all academic and economic ties with what organizers described as “Israeli apartheid.” The protest later continued with a sit-in at the AMS and SGPS offices in the JDUC.
READ MORE: Calls for divestment from Israel arise following petition
During their sit-in, protestors put up a banner in the Jim Leech Ceilidh Centre to “reclaim” it as the Refaat Al-Alreer Memorial Atrium, a Palestinian author who was killed in an Israeli military strike in December 2023. The action cited Leech’s role as the chair of the Principal’s Review Committee for Responsible Investing, which declined to divest from companies doing business in or with the State of Israel.
Palestine Protestors in the JDUC. PHOTO BY JASHAN DUA
The three-hour protest featured one speaker, who identified as part of the Indigenous community. They urged action, saying support for Indigenous rights should also extend to Palestinians. The speaker remained anonymous over concerns about backlash, and organizers declined repeated requests to comment for The Journal.
During the protest, tensions flared at the outset when a student voicing support for Israel confronted the crowd. He exclaimed he was from Israel, with the exchange later escalating as he accused demonstrators of pushing him off the sidewalk.
“I stood here [University and Union], you can’t put your hands on me. I’m standing here. Is there anyone that’s sane?!” the student shouted. The protest continued after the confrontation, with protestors upset about the interruptions and organizers reaffirming their demand for full divestment.
In an interview with The Journal, protestor Alyssa Monter, ArtSci ’27, said the demonstration was built on previous student-led efforts. Highlighting previous divestments, including those from South Africa.
“We tried to get Queen’s to divest last year. They said no, even though they’ve divested twice in the past. So, we know they have the capacity to do so, and we are asking why not?” she said.
READ MORE: Queen’s 23.3 million dollar problem
Several protesters also connected the demonstration to the upcoming National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
“We’re right around the time of truth and reconciliation. If you’re going to support that, you should be here supporting this, because it’s the same issue, and it’s all connected,” Monter said.
Faculty members were also present at the demonstration, including Ariel Salzmann, a Queen’s History professor specializing in Middle East studies. As a Jewish person herself, she drew parallels to the Holocaust.
“My grandparents and parents didn’t know the Holocaust was going on. There were no on-the-ground reporters, no social media, and many North American Jews were aghast when they learned the gravity. That history should make us act and not repeat. And yet, here we are repeating,” she said.
Salzmann added that divestment is one of the few tools available to institutions to take a moral stance. “Divestment is one of the ways that civil society and educational institutions can respond to a moral crisis, a global crisis.”
Corrections
A previous version of this story misstated the name and mandate of the committee chaired by Jim Leech. The committee is the Principal’s Review Committee for Responsible Investing, not the Responsible Investment Committee, and it declined to divest from companies doing business in or with the State of Israel—not Palestine.
Additionally, a previous version of this headline implied that all protesters were Palestinian. In fact, they were pro-Palestinian activists, not exclusively Palestinians. The headline has been updated for accuracy.
Incorrect information appeared in the Sept. 30 issue of The Queen’s Journal.
The Journal regrets the error
Tags
AMS, JDUC, Protest, SGPS, SPHR
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Matt
Shame on you for comparing anything like what is going on now to the Holocaust.
Annie
Shame on you for twisting the point. Comparing atrocities to the Holocaust isn’t denial. It’s acknowledging that when people are dehumanized and targeted, we have a duty to call it out to stop humanitarian catastrophes from repeating, no matter where they happen or who they happen to.
Matt
Israel does not target innocent Palestinians. Hamas propaganda on campuses has gone to your head (it’s proven that’s where the money comes from, Hamas and Iran). They want the world to hate Israel, hate Jews. Israel does more than any military in the world, in history, to avoid civilian casualties. Do they make mistakes, yes, but it is SOOOOO much smaller relative to other wars, where civilians are TARGETED on purpose. Israel has had enough of Hamas and their teachings of hate and anti-semitism, teachings to kill Israeli’s and Jews. This is nothing close to the Holocaust; to say otherwise is to spit on the graves of my grandparents and 6 million other Jews.
Annie
The sadness and suffering felt and experienced by many deeply pains me.
I will say, with all due respect, that all individuals have biases due to lived experiences, and you and I are no exception.
I cannot listen to one side and ignore the other.
As a consequence of this awareness, I listen to reports issued by the UN for information (regarding what you mentioned: UN Aug’25- Gaza has highest no. of child amputees per capita in the world) and I encourage anyone readings this not to be leaned toward any view from these short comments, but instead carefully do their own research on the war crimes committed by both Hamas and Israel as objectively as they can.
I’ll sign off by saying I have hope for a more peaceful world, inspired by those who choose listening and love above all.
Brent Holland
possible article; comments welcome https://www.october7files.com/the-day-of-october-7-massacre/documenting-the-aftermath-of-the-attack-security-and-rescue-forces-media-coverage/