Queen’s community members took to the streets for Palestine.
Approximately 250 Queen’s students and faculty members marched across campus in support of Palestine on the afternoon of Nov. 23. The protest was organized by Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), a Queen’s student advocacy group.
Those leading the march chanted “Free, free Palestine” and “Stop killing children” which echoed through the crowd. SPHR representatives handed out posters reading “Liberation for Palestine.”
Students attending the walkout were encouraged to cover their faces with masks or keffiyehs—a traditional Palestinian scarf—to protect their privacy. Many students exiting their afternoon classes stood and watched the march go past, with some filming their peers.
SPHR posted four demands on Instagram urging Queen’s to cut ties from all institutions “complicit in genocide” and to divest from companies “profiting from Israeli apartheid,” a strategy used by Queen’s in the 1980s during the South African apartheid.
The group demands the University protect all Queen’s community members from all forms of hate, including both anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism and antisemitism. The protest occurred two days after SPHR gave a presentation to AMS Assembly calling on student leaders to support Palestinian students on campus.
The march started at Ontario Hall and continued up University Ave., across Union St., to Tindall Field and then back to Ontario Hall.
Tags
Israel, Palestine, Protest, SPHR, students, Walkout
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