Around 50 University of Wisconsin-Madison Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) members hosted a rally on Bascom Hill Monday to voice opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza and ongoing escalations against Lebanon in the year since Hamas’ 2023 attack in Israel.
Between 30 to 60 pro-Israel demonstrators gathered by the rally, shouting expletives and misgendering SJP members while playing loud Israeli EDM music during SJP speeches.
Pro-Palestine protesters chanted “From the river to the sea,” “Intifada revolution” and “Free, free Palestine.”
One year ago on Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacked Israel, killing over 1,200 people and kidnapping at least 150 people. Since Oct. 7, 2023 the Israel Defense Forces have killed at least 40,000 Palestinians directly and possibly up to 186,000 indirectly. In recent weeks, Israel invaded Lebanon, driving over 1.2 million from their homes in an increased escalation of war in the region.
The last year has marked a time of increasing polarization surrounding Israel and Palestine on college campuses around the country, including at UW-Madison. Last spring, SJP organized a 12-day encampment, and some Jewish, Muslim and Middle Eastern students have perceived more hate and bias incidents, loneliness on campus and a lack of university support.
“Many people on campus on both sides were touched by the news of this conflict a year ago, but today they are just used to it and have stopped caring,” SJP protester Junyao Wang told The Daily Cardinal. “We are not going to give up because we’re tired. We need to give people stimulation.”
SJP board member Shafiq said the exhaustion many on campus could feel seeing SJP demonstrations does not compare to exhaustion of Palestinians who have been suffering from Israel’s bombardments.
“You’re getting tired of seeing protests? You’ve got to be thinking about how tiring it is to see bomb after bomb dropped on your house,” Shafiq said. “I think that if you’re tired of seeing protests on campus, you don’t really know tired.”
Shafiq also said Oct. 7 marked not only the anniversary of Hamas’ attack, but the escalation of the occupation which has left over 40,000 Palestinians dead.
“It is a day of intensified genocide against the Palestinians, and I think that's just as much something for us to mourn and be angry about, as well as the continuation of the occupation,” he said.
Max, a pro-Israel demonstrator, told the Cardinal Oct. 7 was a day of mourning and called SJP’s protest “disgusting.”
“It's like they don't understand our pain. We understand that lives have been lost on both sides, but our pain is today,” Max said. “If they want to protest, fine, they have every right to do so, but the fact that they feel the need to do it on a day like this, there's no sense of humanity.”
Pro-Israel demonstrator Adain called SJP protesters’ chants blasphemous.
“October 7 is the worst tragedy to happen to the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Adain said. “To see these people here chanting Intifada, chanting for more bloodshed is insane, especially on the one-year anniversary of what happened.”
SJP reserved the lower third of Bascom Hill for a display to honor Palestinian lives lost since Oct. 7, according to UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas. According to university policy, registered student organizations must reserve the lower third of Bascom Hill for “signage displays.”
Pro-Palestine protesters were met with boos and jeers from pro-Israel demonstrators as their program began, with those in support of Israel holding up flags and chanting loudly over SJP’s opening statements.
When SJP retorted, telling off the pro-Israel demonstrators for “cheering during a land acknowledgement,” a louder roar of cheers were heard.
University officials including Dean of Students Christina Olstad and Vice Chancellor for Inclusive Excellence LaVar Charleston were present during the protest along with at least six UWPD officers who separated the two groups by standing between them.
The demonstration was one of the first major protests since UW-Madison released updated protest and “expressive activity” guidelines ahead of the fall semester.
Olstad distributed fliers on protest restrictions, including information on sound amplification, which is not allowed without a permit unless on a handheld battery power device.
UW-Madison Director of Academic Misconduct Tonya Schmidt instructed pro-Israel demonstrators to shut down a large speaker they had.
Pro-Israel demonstrators shout anti-LGBTQ comments at SJP protesters
Some members of the pro-Israel group shouted transphobic comments to one SJP speaker.
“Are you a man or a woman,” asked one of the pro-Israel demonstrators, and some laughed in agreement and joined in the shout.
Pro-Israel demonstrators said “bye, chickens for KFC,” a reference to a comment Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made during his July address to the United States Congress likening “Gays for Gaza” to “Chickens for KFC.”
Additionally, pro-Israel supporters interrupted Samer Alatout, a professor involved in the encampment last spring, with chants of “put the fries in the bag” and “get a job.”
Alatout spoke about the meaning pro-Palestine organizers give to Palestinians.
“Palestinians love you. You are what makes them stand strong. You are what makes them believe that there is a world. You will write the new chapter, you will write the future,” Alatout said.
When speeches at the top of Bascom ended, most pro-Israel supporters left, leaving the pro-Palestine group to march back down Bascom and hold a eulogy for those killed in Israel’s attacks on Palestinians.
As the eulogy commenced, the pro-Israel demonstrators played “Golden Boy,” a popular Israeli song from Eurovision, on a speaker at the bottom of Bascom Hill.
Later that evening, around 500 UW-Madison students attended a UW Hillel and Chabad vigil for Oct. 7 victims.
Noe Goldhaber is the college news editor and former copy chief for The Daily Cardinal. She is a Statistics and Journalism major and has specialized on a wide range of campus topics including protests, campus labor, student housing, free speech and campus administration. She has done data analysis and visualization for the Cardinal on a number of stories. Follow her on Twitter at @noegoldhaber.
Gabriella Hartlaub is the former arts editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has also written state politics and campus news. She currently is a summer reporting intern with Raleigh News and Observer. Follow her on Twitter at @gabihartlaub.
Sreejita Patra is a senior staff writer and the former summer ad sales manager for The Daily Cardinal. She has written for breaking news, campus news and arts and has done extensive reporting on the 2024 presidential race. She also covered the Oregon Village Board for the Oregon Observer.
