“They are not numbers. We will remember their names,” said Students for Justice in Palestine (SPJ) on the one-year anniversary since the genocide began while pro-Israeli counterprotesters mocked them at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
On Oct. 7, around 75 protesters came to UW-Madison’s Bascom Hill to call for an end to the genocide in Gaza. Now, one year into the conflict, student and faculty protesters are still pressed to demand action. Tensions were higher than most other ceasefire protests in the wake of UW-Madison’s changes to free speech and protest policies. University police and administration closely monitored protesters, both for a ceasefire and pro-Israeli counterprotesters, to make sure the new policy was enforced.
The protest started at the bottom of Bascom Hill with signs and a grave — called an “art exhibit” due to new university policies — before moving upwards towards Bascom Hall. Counterprotesters, around 60, also gathered with Israeli flags after writing in chalk around Library Mall’s fountain with the death count and hostages total of Israelis.
The two moved in tandem as both marched up to Basom Hall. Ceasefire protesters could be heard chanting its typical slogans such as “Not another nickel, not another dime. No more money for Israel’s crimes.”
(Photo by Omar Waheed)
Pro-Israel counter-protesters walked alongside while steadily mocking those calling for an end to genocide. The counter-protesters were often heard rebutting every chant — even booing at ceasefire protesters while they made a land acknowledgment.
Both protesters and counterprotesters moved to Bascom Hall where a senate faculty meeting was held.
“You are the new world. You will write the new chapter. You will write the future, not them,” said Samer Alatout, a Palestinian associate professor at UW-Madison. “We are all for everybody’s dignity. We fight for dignity. We fight for humans to live like humans.”
The pro-Israeli protesters continued to mock ceasefire protesters. They moved towards yelling racial slurs calling students “terrorists” and “jihadis,” then “rapists.”
(Photo by Omar Waheed)
Counterprotesters continuously thinned out until one was left. The group met up at the bottom of Basom Hill — with roughly a third of them gone — where they started dancing until ceasefire protestors moved back down.
Ceasefire protesters began to sing “I Am Not Afraid,” a civil rights song commonly sung in sit-ins, before they started to read off the names and biographies of a few of the 41,870 killed, the current death toll reported by Al Jazeera. Counter-protesters responded with “Womp, womp” while names were read.
Students for Justice in Palestine plans to hold multiple demonstrations this week in its “Week of Rage.” A full schedule can be found on its Instagram page.
