Activism group Iowa City Students for Justice in Palestine is helping plan a solidarity event to support encampments at U.S. universities and voice dissent for the Israel-Hamas war amid national university protests and arrests.
The event is scheduled from 12-7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the University of Iowa Pentacrest. In a social media post picturing a tent with a sign reading “Let Gaza Live” and “Free Palestine,” the event is advertised as having educational materials, art, food, and music.
The Guardian reports at least 40 pro-Palestine encampments have sprung up across U.S. campuses since Columbia University in New York first held an encampment with more than 100 arrests stemming from pro-Palestine protests.
Student protesters occupied Columbia’s Hamilton Hall this morning after the university did not agree to the student group’s demands, including full divestment from Israeli corporations. Columbia University has stated it will suspend students who do not leave the encampment by 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
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According to the UI’s Use of Campus Outdoor Space policy, camping on the Pentacrest is strictly prohibited. The policy also states that people can use the Pentacrest in a casual manner from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights.
The UI requires student organizations, which are categorized as an eligible group, to reserve the Pentacrest for “public meetings, rallies, teach-ins, convocations, and other authorized events and activities,” according to its policy. Iowa City Students for Justice in Palestine is not an official student organization.
“No campus outdoor area shall be designated as a free speech zone, and no policies will be created by administration that restrict expressive activity to a particular zone,” Chapter 35 of the university’s policy manual states.
Most recently near the UI, over 200 people gathered near the Courtyard by the Marriott hotel in University Heights to protest the Gaza war amid U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’, R-Iowa, campaign visit with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday.
In December, nine pro-Palestine protesters were arrested after chaining themselves to the doors of Kinnick Stadium. Those arrested received multiple charges including disorderly conduct, trespassing, interference with official acts, and trespassing causing damage greater than $200.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article did not specify that Iowa City Students for Justice in Palestine is not an official student organization.
