Encampment forms on Polk Place to protest war in Gaza

Updated April 26 11:52 p.m.:

Friday morning, more than two dozen tents sat on Polk Place in front of South Building, UNC's administrative building. 

Surrounded and filled by more than 100 UNC students and community members, the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" stands in solidarity with Palestine, each person demanding the University to divest from Israel.

This is the second encampment in the past week that taken place on UNC's campus — the first was held last Friday and was finished by mid-afternoon. 

The three demands from the organization were written in red and black on a banner attached to a tent. These demands say: "commit to transparency on UNC investment," "divest from products supporting Israeli genocide and full academic boycott" and "work with students faculty and staff to ensure UNC complies."

UNC's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine organized the solidarity encampment and announced the event this morning via social media. The encampment follows those began at numerous other universities across the country.

"We stand in solidarity with our comrades at Columbia and across the U.S. who have been repressed, arrested, and physically attacked," a press release from SJP said. "The central purpose, however, of this encampment is to meet the demands of the present moment, and to center Palestine and call attention to the university's participation in the genocide in Gaza."

About the efforts 

SJP member Sylvie, who only provided their first name, said there are numerous goals for this encampment. The first — and primary — being to bring attention to the thousands of Palestinians who have died. 

“This is about Gaza,” they said. “All eyes need to be on Gaza.”

The second goal is to emphasize that UNC’s SJP chapter has requested the same divestment demands since October. They said there has been no change in the administration’s response.

The third hope for the encampment is to add to the “long legacy” of students who have come before them in the history of resistance.  

“We have not only been met with apathy and ignorance, but also recently — especially with threats, punishment, repression, surveillance,” Sylvie said. “We collectively decided that it was time. We felt the pressure of the current needs of the moment, and we decided that it is time to demonstrate our support for Palestine and our unwavering stance on our demands for divestment.” 

The encampment began at 9:45 a.m. and participants plan to stay as long as possible, saying until UNC divests. 

Around 10:15 a.m., an SJP leader held an informal briefing to discuss safety, potential responses to police action and what participants should expect. 

"Chapel Hill pick a side. Justice or genocide. UNC pick a side. Justice or genocide," chants could be heard throughout the campus with drum beats echoing behind. 

In the beginning hours of the encampment, participants left and new ones joined. Individuals have written emergency phone numbers across their forearms, on white T-shirts and small banners hung up on the tents. 

At 11:30 a.m. a SJP representative announced students from Duke University were on the way to join the encampment and students from N.C. State were already there.

Administrative response

Numerous administration members — including Dean of Students Desirée Rieckenberg and Chief of Staff to the Chancellor Christi Hurt — came out from South Building to talk with SJP leaders regarding the encampment. The organization leaders read Hurt and Rieckenberg their three main demands, and said that if they could have a meeting with the chancellor, they would move the tents. 

Rieckenberg told the group of students that tents are in violation of the University's facilities policy and that the tents must be taken down. 

"One way or another, the tents will have to get brought down," Rieckenberg said.

She emphasized, however, that she came to speak with the students in "good faith." The meeting ended without confirmed steps forward nor a meeting with the chancellor.  

Around 12:35 p.m. Hurt and Rieckenberg agreed to help facilitate a meeting with the interim chancellor. However, the administrative members requested students disassemble the encampment and SJP leaders not host another event on Polk Place in the following weeks. SJP members discussed amongst themselves regarding next steps, but Rieckenberg requested that a decision be made by 1:15 p.m. today. 

The administration further requested that organizers remove their tents by 1:45 p.m. A member of SJP announced that tents should be taken down at 1:30 p.m., but the organizers should leave the fabric and continue to physically "take up space." 

"I just want to say loud and clear that even though we take the poles out of tents, we will remain here," the speaker said. "We will not be leaving."

Kevin Best, senior director of UNC Media Relations, said in a statement that the group was asked to remove the tents in accordance with Section D.2. of the Facilities Use Standard. He said that the group removed the tents peacefully. 

"UNC-Chapel Hill supports the rights of all community members to demonstrate peacefully and within university policies," he said.

At 1:30 p.m., an SJP leader requested demonstrators begin deconstructing tent poles to comply with the University's request to remove them by 1:45 p.m. The members of the encampment have stayed on Polk Place, siting on the tent fabric. 

Counter protest

A small group of counter-protesters approached and walked around the encampment around 2:30 p.m. UNC Police Chief Brian James spoke with the individuals and they walked away.

Another individual wearing a kippah walked around the perimeter of the encampment. They recorded the event. A small number of individuals who are a part of the pro-Palestinian demonstration were walking alongside and blocking their view with keffiyehs and signs. 

Mendy Heber, a rabbi visiting from Long Island, New York, heard that a demonstration was happening on-campus and came to provide support for Jewish students. He finds the organized effort on UNC’s campus, and other college campuses across the nation, to be ones that “create havoc and make chaos all over.” 

He questioned if the Jewish students involved with the encampment “know much about their heritage.” Another rabbi, Dovid who accompanied Heber said they found the students to be “misguided.” 

Around 5:30 p.m. a group of around 10 counter-protesters began arriving at the encampment, playing music from a speaker, dancing and asking demonstrators what they were doing. The group left around 6 p.m. 

Continuing action 

SJP leaders have encouraged those within the encampment to visit a care tent that has been set up for any health or nutritional needs. Local Chapel Hill restaurant Mediterranean Deli, Bakery, and Catering has provided lunch for those within the encampment.

As many individuals ate and sat, a group of approximately three dozen individuals created a circle surrounding an individual who said a prayer for Palestine. Throughout the afternoon, dances, conversations, prayers and music echoed throughout the encampment. 

Demonstrators have remained in the area and are continuing to occupy. 

"Tent or no tent, we have people who are willing to spend the night here," Sylvie said. 

On Friday evening, Makom Triangle and Triangle NC Jewish Voice for Peace joined the encampment for a potluck and Shabbat services. Approximately 50 students and community members attended the services.

A speaker who introduced herself as Julia, spoke to a crowd of around 75 people in the encampment at 8:45 p.m. after an hour of prayers and song. Julia, a Jewish graduate student at UNC, said she is a member of numerous organizations represented at the encampment. 

"We are here as Jews to support UNC SJP's demands that UNC acknowledge the ongoing genocide in Palestine, create full transparency of its investments, divest from companies complicit in this genocide and end all UNC study abroad programs in Israel," she said. "We are here to stand in solidarity with Palestine and fight for Palestinian liberation."

Around 11:30 p.m., SJP organizers walked around to speak to individuals at the encampment, saying they will begin "quiet hours" soon. Some students laid on air mattresses, others played card games in small circles on the grass.

As people begin to settle in for the night, Polk Place has grown quieter, but around 70 people still remain sitting in solidarity with Palestine. 

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article mis-transcribed a chant. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for this error.

Editor-in-chief Emmy Martin contributed reporting.

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