Student demonstrators led pro-Palestinian chants at Florida International University on Thursday afternoon, demanding the university divest from contracts and funding agreements with contractors who do business with Israel’s military.
The demonstrators passed out exactly 67 red paper flowers — each representing over a thousand Palestinian casualties two years after the war broke out between Hamas and Israel in Gaza. At least 67,160 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The protest immediately followed the brokerage of another ceasefire between Israel and Hamas militants — and potentially an end to the two-year-old conflict.
The war began Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. Most have since been released but several dozen remain in captivity or have died.
“We are relieved that people in Gaza are getting some relief from the bombardment of the IDF, but we need to keep fighting because we have to keep asking our universities to divest from ties with Israel,” said Lael Licht, who co-chairs the FIU chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America, which organized Thursday's protest.
Licht, a 22-year-old student, said the protest is part of another campaign that demands the university end its partnership with federal immigration officials. Earlier this year, the group held a similar protest focused on the 287(g) agreement FIU’s police department entered to assist federal agents enforce immigration laws.
“Students are afraid to speak up about Palestine because of these issues, because of the risk of deportation,” Licht said. “They risk student conduct violations just for trying to express their political beliefs in terms of support for Palestine.”
READ MORE: FIU faculty, students protest university partnership with federal immigration authorities
The YSDA chapter said the American involvement in Palestine also highlights the suffering of marginalized and working class people.
“In those millions and millions of dollars sent to Israel — we don't have healthcare,” said Carlton Daley, a member of FIU’s YDSA. “Our material life is worse. Taxes are devastating [the] working class and poor people.”
The United States — under the Biden and Trump administrations — has provided at least $21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel since the start of the Gaza war two years ago, according to a new academic study published Tuesday.
In the midst of chants to free Palestine, a group of students brandishing an Israeli flag gathered outside of the protest in support of Israel. Those students shouted “free Israel.”
Ethan Bazak, a Jewish student at FIU, said pro-Palestine march was unnecessary given the announcement Wednesday of a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel and the release of the remaining hostages.
“Peace in the Middle East is being strived for right now, so why call attention to a matter that's already in the process of being solved,” said Ethan Bazak, a Jewish student.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead, devastated Gaza and upended global politics. The war has sparked worldwide protests and brought widespread allegations of genocide that Israel denies.
“America’s involvement in the Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people is deeply unpopular and morally abject. FIU students, in particular, are growing upset at Israel’s ceaseless barbarism and American institutions' involvement in the bloodshed,” wrote YDSA FIU in a statement prior to Thursday’s planned protest.
While the university has no direct contracts with or grants from Israel, FIU has a total of about $11 million in Department of Defense-related contracts. FIU's YDSA pointed to agreements the university has with Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
“FIU is an international university and this is a part of a growing outrage from international and domestic students about the continual disregard of the campus’s administration on the wellbeing of international students and immigrants,” FIU YSDA wrote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
