JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Chants filled the air at the University of North Florida on Tuesday as dozens of students rallied in solidarity with Palestine, calling for the university to divest from companies with ties to Israel, including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, and an end to the war.
The UNF-based group Students for a Democratic Society (Jacksonville SDS) were the main organizers of the protest. Students held signs reading “Free Palestine” and “Stop the bloodshed,” while several group leaders led chants. After an hour-long rally, the group set up tents and hung a banner reading “Popular University for Gaza.” A handful of campus security were disperse across the Green, watching the protest as it happened. A dozen campus police officers rode by on bikes several times. At one point, they stopped and stood, watching as the group yelled.
Campus security approached the group less than two hours after the protest began, saying the group had 30 minutes to remove the tents, arguing they violated school policy. They threatened suspension and arrest, though the campus police chief stressed he did not want the situation to get to that point. First Coast News spoke with the president of the Jacksonville SDS, asking if the group would be willing to be arrested for the cause.
“If need be,” said Jacksonville SDS President Marlo Crosby. “Not only do we have support and making sure that we fight those charges, but we believe they’re wholly unjust.”
He said the students have a right to protest in campus. “We pay tuition, we have a right to be here. And there's we have free speech. That's our first amendment right.”
The group removed the tents from the property, but students remained seated quietly on the Green as a dozen campus police officers and some campus faculty watched from a far. Around 3:40 p.m., police came and spoke to the students, thanking them for complying.
The protests at UNF come after hundreds of students across the county have been arrested for protesting on college campuses. Students at UNF say they're standing in solidarity with campus protests around the country.
On Monday night, the University of Florida issued a statement saying its campus wasn’t a “day care” after multiple protesters were arrested on campus earlier in the day. Nearly a thousands protesters have been arrested since nationwide protests at college campuses got underway in mid-April.
The University of North Florida provided the following statement on the campus protest:
"UNF is committed to protecting the safety of all students, faculty, staff and the entire campus community. Students may protest as long as they abide by applicable laws and university policies and regulations."
First Coast News also reached out to several of Jacksonville's Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Federation, the Jewish Community Alliance and Chabad at UNF. We did not hear back from anyone; however, it is still Passover.