ANN ARBOR — Roughly 40 University of Michigan student protesters set up an encampment at the Diag, a large open space on the campus, as part of a pro-Palestine protest. 

Reports state that the earliest protesters appeared around 6 a.m. on Monday, April 22. The encampment included tents and Palestinian flags as well as signs with their plea — that the university divest from companies financially involved with Israel. 

Various signs were pictured and posted on the Students Allied For Freedom Equality (SAFEumich) Instagram page, one reading “Fund our education not the occupation” and another reading “Apartheid isn’t kosher, Jews demand divestment.” 

For the last six months, the University of Michigan has been engaging in different forms of protest. According to the Michigan Daily, the first took place on October 13; students organized a sit-in outside the university president’s home.

Students have continued to call for divestment through chants and protests at different spots on campus over the last several months. 

The TAHRIR Coalition of 80 plus student organizations at U of M that stand for Palestinian liberation organized  this most recent protest. SAFEumich and the U of M chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace were among the organizations.

“It is a symbolic method of resistance,” one student told CBS News.

Another student, also wanting to stay anonymous, told CBS, “In various college campuses, the bravery of our students, the bravery of the cause and the sheer diversity of this cause. A lot of people have been galvanized and inspired to join us wherever we are, wherever we stand, for however long we stand.”

This protest follows the encampment protest at Columbia University where more than 100 student protesters were arrested. 

“We plan to be out here until the university divests its $6 billion from the genocide in Gaza,” a student protesting for Palestine told Channel 7 News.

Shreya Chowdhary, a student at U of M’s Rackham Graduate School, told the Michigan Daily that this protest was inspired by others at various universities across America.

“This encampment is a statement to the university that we will not move until they divest, that we will not allow our endowment to fund the genocide…  and it is also an act of solidarity with other student organizers across the country, from Columbia to UNC Chapel Hill to a bunch of other places that are setting up similar solidarity on campus,” Chowdhary said in a Michigan Daily report. “So it’s not just this (one event). It is a national movement that we’re participating in to demonstrate that students across the United States are not going to stand for our universities funding genocide and profiteering from genocide.”

Annabel Bean, a sophomore and co-founder of the U of M chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, told the Michigan Daily that this protest was aimed at calling the university to divest.

“You’ll see that our universities are funding this genocide both directly and indirectly, funding the larger military-industrial complex, industrial complex and materialism more largely,” Bean said in a Michigan Daily report. “We really want to tell them that this is our university.”

According to Channel 7 News, Ann Arbor resident Keith Button stopped by the protest to show support and dropped off ponchos, blankets and other items.

“Given the fact that our government funds Israel and funds a lot of the weapons that are used in this devastation, it’s important for us as U.S. citizens to stand up and let our voices be heard about it because it’s our tax dollars that are going to funding this thing,” he told the station.

Channel 7 News also released a statement from the University of Michigan acknowledging both encampment and divestment, it reads:

ENCAMPMENT:

“Yesterday, 20 tents were placed on the main quadrangle, known as the Diag, at the University of Michigan. Students are able to engage in peaceful protest in many places on campus and, at the same time, the university has a responsibility to maintain an environment that is conducive to learning and academic success. No one has the right to substantially disrupt university activities or to violate laws or university policies. We are working to minimize disruptions to university operations – most especially with classes ending today and the study period beginning before finals. Safety is always a key priority and, as such, we have increased security on campus. We are carefully monitoring the situation and remain prepared to appropriately address any harassment or threats against any member of our community.”

DIVESTMENT:

“Regarding the calls for divestment, the university has had a policy [publicaffairs.vpcomm.umich.edu] in place for nearly 20 years that shields the university’s investments from political pressures. Much of the money invested through the university’s endowment, for example, is donor funding given to provide long-term financial support for designated purposes. The Board of Regents reaffirmed its position [publicaffairs.vpcomm.umich.edu] on this issue earlier this year.”