May 18th 2024.
On a late Friday afternoon, a group of students and alumni from the University of Chicago stormed into the university's Institute of Politics to express their discontent over the ongoing war in Gaza. Their main demand was for the university to sever any financial ties with Israel.
This protest was a response to the recent dismantling of a pro-Palestinian encampment on the university's main quad by the University of Chicago Police Department. The students had set up the encampment as part of a nationwide movement to pressure universities into disclosing and divesting from any investments related to Israel.
Video footage provided to the Tribune showed the protesters briefly entering the building before being removed by the UCPD. By 6 p.m., the building was empty again, according to UCPD Chief Kyle Bowman. However, a broken window on the second floor was evidence of the heated events that had unfolded earlier, as hundreds of people crowded on South Woodlawn Avenue.
The protest itself was a powerful sight, with some participants wearing protective gear like helmets, goggles, and face masks. They had even fashioned a makeshift barricade using chairs. Banners bearing their demands and slogans such as "bring the intifada home" were hung from the building's windows.
One of the university's alumni, Patrick McWilliams, shared his reasons for attending the protest, which coincided with the school's alumni weekend. He wanted to use his position as an alumnus to convey the message that the university could not continue to support actions that went against their beliefs.
McWilliams, who was part of a group called University of Chicago alumni for Palestine, stated that they were ready to withhold donations to the university until their demands were met.
As the evening went on, the protesters took over the Institute of Politics building, hanging a Palestinian flag from the second floor and setting up a tent on the lawn. Across the street, a small group of people draped in Israeli flags looked on from the university's Chabad Rohr House.
One student, who chose not to reveal her identity as she had been threatened with a brick, expressed her concern for her Jewish friends who might feel unsafe on campus. She clarified that her presence at the protest did not mean she supported Israel's actions, but rather that she believed in the importance of nuance in discussions surrounding the conflict.
Amidst all of this, Chicago police and UCPD officers kept a watchful eye from both sides of the building, with some UCPD officers even visible inside.
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