Protesters hold up flags and banners during a protest Oct. 7 on the south bridge over Cooper Street. Several cars honked in support of the protest as they drove underneath.
Editor’s note:
Some of the sources included in this article were attributed using their first name or a potential nickname at their request due to safety issues. We believe including their perspectives is important to give our audience a full understanding of the story.
Marking two years of war across the Gaza Strip, Students for Justice in Palestine rallied on the south bridge over Cooper Street on Tuesday, demanding that UTA divest from companies supporting Israel.
Palestinian flags and banners for the movement were hung along the bridge by dozens of protesters donning keffiyeh scarves. Several cars driving below honked while others flew their own red, green, black and white flags in support of the movement.
Social work junior Dareen shouts during a protest Oct. 7 on the south bridge over Cooper Street at UTA. Dareen said that it is essential to protest in support of students worldwide.
For over two hours in the heat, protesters chanted, urging the university to cut ties with weapons manufacturers and calling for Palestine to be freed.
“The movement has grown, and this will lead to the liberation of Palestine in the future,” said Sana, Students for Justice in Palestine executive board member.
Students walk to the south bridge over Cooper Street during a protest Oct. 7 at UTA. The students were protesting against UTA’s relationship to companies supporting Israel.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas fighters stormed Israeli towns in a surprise attack, killing around 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to the Associated Press. The assault prompted Israel to launch an offensive to destroy Hamas and free the hostages, resulting in two years of devastating bloodshed in the region.
Israel’s attacks have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and injured nearly 170,000, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been steadfast in calling for Israeli hostages to be released before the assault will end.
Seraphine Pecson, Progressive Student Union president, chants during a protest Oct. 7 on the south bridge over Cooper Street. Pecson said that engineering students want more options than Lockheed Martin.
Sana said Oct. 7 is a day of remembrance.
“We’re using this day to remind everyone of the genocide that started, but we’re also using this day to remind everyone that this didn’t start on this day; the occupation in Palestine has been for 77 years,” she said.
As a Palestinian, Sana said she has been part of the movement with her family since she was a child but has never seen the violence reach the degree it is at now.
Sana, Students for Justice in Palestine executive board member, chants during a protest Oct. 7 on the south bridge over Cooper Street. Sana said she has supported Palestine since she was a child.
“In the situations before, where Gaza would get bombarded like this, they [Israel] would be killing civilians and bombing the homes, but it has never been flattened to this level,” Sana said.
Jenin, Students for Justice in Palestine outreach lead, said she comes from Jimzu, a village that was colonized by Israel in 1948. She said it’s important not to forget the people left in Gaza.
“We shouldn’t be normalizing seeing children losing limbs, bombs being dropped on schools, especially as a university student,” Jenin said.
Protesters hang a flag that reads “free Palestine” during a protest Oct. 7 on the south bridge over Cooper Street. Students voiced concerns regarding UTA’s ties with Lockheed Martin.
One of the protesters’ main issues is UTA’s work experience partnership with Lockheed Martin, a defense and weapons manufacturing company under fire by many organizations and activists for supplying machinery used in Israeli bombardments.
“Unfortunately, University of Arlington has not divested,” Jenin said. “The board of trustees are the ones that make the decisions for the investments and the endowment funds, and they’ve chosen to fund genocide instead.”
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