Clear skies, a refreshing breeze and superb summer weather bolstered the spirits of students who gathered at Salisbury University’s Red Square on May 13th, 2024, for the second organized Palestine demonstration in the past week. The third sit-in was organized on May 15th, 2024, in the same area.

Only three days following the first sit-in at the steps of the Guerrieri Academic Commons, information regarding the succeeding demonstrations was shared on social media and made its way throughout the campus community.

In the month following the surge of nationwide college campus protests, the SU campus had been largely silent, with minimal stir and an absence of activity. Over the past week, the atmosphere has shifted, as pro-Palestine sit-ins have become frequently discussed, planned and attended.

Unlike students who have been protesting at prestigious institutions like Duke, Columbia and more to demand divestment from companies profiting from the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the SU students are not making any explicit demands from the SU administration. Rather, several students described a desire to spread awareness about the war and vocalize their opinions.

Bridget Shulman, an SU freshman majoring in Environmental Biology, decided to attend the May 13th sit-in with a sign expressing Jewish support for the cause of the pro-Palestine demonstrations and criticism of Israeli military actions.

“I feel like there should just be more knowledge on the subject and more, honestly more activism like this,” she said. “I mean look how many people we have here, I mean, this is awesome.”

“But we need more people because there is a literal genocide happening, I feel like there should be more activism [and] more knowledge on the subject.”

Nicholas, an SU junior majoring in Political Science, believes the demonstrations on campus provide an outlet for students to stand against actions which he views as unjust and harmful.

 “Seeing images of US weapons being used for mass slaughter of innocent people, just in my mind doesn’t seem morally right, to support a government that is knowingly, in some ways, committing war crimes,” he said.

Nicholas understands that the interest in political activism on campus is slim, but that new mobilization sources, such as the Students for Justice Palestine Instagram account, have expanded the availability of engaging in demonstrations to more students and groups.

“I’m not really sure I can speak on demands, but personally I feel like it’s in the best interest of the United States to poll its support… we have to understand that we have laws on the books that prohibit our participation in the genocide, ethnic cleansing, or any violation of human rights,” he said.

“Polling support to ensure the protection of human rights is the most important thing, in my point of view, and to ensure that a deal is brokered that gives both Ham– both the Palestinian people and the Israelis what they desire, which is the cessation of hostilities.”

A Muslim student majoring in Health Science who wished not to be named believes that the U.S. is both allowing and facilitating a genocide in Gaza by sending billions of dollars in military aid to the Israel. Recently, the Biden Administration planned to move forward with a weapons deal exceeding $1 billion with Israel.

“We’ve seen in history that all of this has occurred before,” she said. “So we should bring awareness to people, because we see that, when we read history, we’re like ‘how did we allow this to happen, how did nobody see the truth?’”

“Obviously, we can see the trick now, we should not let that happen, we should talk about it, we should bring awareness to people.”

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Contributors: ALEXIS ALLEN, JACKIE WILLIAMS, COLIN McEVERS