At 4 pm on Tuesday, students gathered at the Sundial for an emergency rally in support of displaced Palestinians in Rafah.

Despite the morning’s snowstorm, students gathered at 4 pm on Tuesday for an emergency rally titled “All Eyes On Rafah.” The protest was in support of Palestinians displaced in Rafah, a city in Gaza that is currently a target of Israeli airstrikes. 

“There are over 1.5 million Palestinians displaced in Rafah as of 12 pm EST today,” an Instagram post by Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) read. The post stated that Rafah is “the last place of refuge” for Palestinians where “the state of Israel is indiscriminately carpet bombing.” Participants were instructed to “dress warm, wear masks, and bring hand warmers.”

At 4 pm, students gathered around the Sundial bearing Palestinian flags. Around 4:25 pm, protesters began to move down the steps toward Butler Library between the two lawns. As they walked, some participants banged on drums with a speaker and recited a series of chants including “Free, free Palestine,” “If we don’t get no justice, then they don’t get no peace,” “No peace on stolen land,” and “1,2,3,4 occupation no more. 5,6,7,8. Israel is a terrorist state.”

A group of counter-protesters also gathered nearby holding Israeli flags. They were accompanied by Public Safety as they followed the primary protest. Meanwhile, leaders of the Pro-Palestinian protest advised participants not to engage with counter-protesters. 

The protest continued past Butler Library toward Lerner, whose doors were locked as protesters passed. The group then moved toward Furnald and the Journalism School as Public Safety followed close behind them. 

Additional counter-protesters, totaling about 10 people, followed. They yelled chants such as “2, 4, 6, 8, Gaza is a terrorist state,” “Let our people go,” and “Free, free Palestine from Hamas.”

The protest circled back towards Low Library. Around 5 pm, participants gathered in front of Butler Library once again. They waved Palestinian flags and chanted, “The more you try to silence us the louder we will be” as one counter-protester holding an Israeli flag stood nearby. Students used the emergency exits to leave Butler while protesters were standing in front of the main entrance.

Meanwhile, students and community members built snowmen on the lawns, part of which protesters covered with Kool-Aid powder spelling out “Rafah” to symbolize “blood on [the University’s] hands.” At 6 pm, University personnel began removing the red snow.

Image via Bwog Staff