A group of more than 100 people continued their protest against the Israel-Hamas war and demonstrated support for Palestinians on Friday morning on and near the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill.
The protest began with chants and sign-waving at the Peace and Justice Plaza – in front of the U.S. Post Office on East Franklin Street. Demonstrators told WUNC they felt more comfortable protesting there than on-campus.
Students are marching in the road pic.twitter.com/HFZIDlSghH
— Brianna Atkinson (@batkinson2501) May 3, 2024
Students then began marching, through campus and down Franklin Street, blocking traffic and graduation portraits, as they walked and chanted: “Free Palestine!”
A few police cars followed the protestors as they marched in the street, with some getting out to direct incoming cars.
This police presence was a stark contrast to Tuesday’s protest, where 36 people were detained and the U.S. flag was removed from a pole near Polk Place on campus.
The police response was later condemned in a letter signed by several Chapel Hill and Carrboro town council members.
The town council members said UNC campus police’s “arrests of peaceful protestors” was an “overreaction.” Neither Chapel Hill nor Carrboro police were involved in the on campus protests.
“UNC administration created an environment that inevitably resulted in an escalation of force, including the use of pepper spray against its own students,” the letter reads. “This use of aggressive police tactics against students and community members invites aggressive responses, and only serves to escalate an already tense situation.”
Graduate student Amber Helton went to both Tuesday’s encampment and Friday’s march. She said the town’s decision to abstain from previous protests made her feel more comfortable off campus, at the Peace and Justice Plaza.
“Chapel Hill police didn’t want to get involved with the campus protests previously,” Helton said. “Compared to the way that our Chancellor reacted to the protesters on campus with using the university police to brutalize students, I definitely feel safer being here than being on campus.”
In a press release sent earlier this week, interim Chancellor Lee Roberts said he took “action” on campus because protestors violated university policies.
Several students at the protest said they had a fear of retaliation from Roberts and university administration. Some also said they were instructed by protest organizers not to speak to the press because of Tuesday’s arrests.
Savannah is a senior graduating from UNC this year. She didn’t share her full name to prevent retaliation from the university, but said she and others aren’t afraid to speak out against them.
“We are here to show everyone, show the administration that we are not afraid of them,” Savannah said. “They don’t want to hear our voices, they don’t want to hear our opinions because they have power. But we also have power in numbers — and we are going to keep fighting until we get our demands met.”
The short-lived protest that began a bit before 8:30 a.m. had mostly dispersed by 10 a.m.
In the wake of this week’s series of protests, UNC-Chapel Hill administrators closed a campus social justice hub. Meanwhile, organizers with Republican political ties set up a fundraiser for frat members who held up the U.S. flag after it was replaced by a Palestinian one. Protests began last Friday.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
