Around 100 protesters gathered at the University of Minnesota at noon Monday, marking the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel where the Israeli government estimated 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 hostages were taken.

Protesters chanted outside the Coffman Union, “Up up with liberation, down down with occupation,” among others, before placing small colored flags on the lawn in the pattern of the Palestinian flag. Some protesters would later gather in front of the Minnesota Hillel house.

Since Oct. 7, Israel has killed an estimated more than 41,000 Palestinians in its war in Gaza, and left hundreds of thousands of Palestinians homeless, according to AP News.

Around 10 “safety marshalls” were present at the event — pro-Palestinian group members designated by neon vests appointed to ensure the safety of protesters at the event and serve as a point of contact for the University of Minnesota Police Department (UMPD) or University officials.

Students for Justice in Palestine’s (SJP) vice president, who requested anonymity for his safety and ability to travel to Palestine in the future, said he believes people are fed up with the response of the U.S. government and University administration to Israel’s actions.

“I suspect that people are going to be very angry,” he said. “They’re going to rightfully have rage towards these organizations that are being complicit in the genocide.”

The protest featured flags and posters of varying sizes, and a speaker system with a microphone, both violations of the University’s protest guidelines.

SJP’s vice president said SJP plans to continue intentionally not following the University’s protest guidelines because they believe the guidelines are fundamentally unconstitutional and limiting to free speech.

Student affairs staff were present at the event and issued two verbal warnings to protesters by 1:30 p.m., according to Fae Hodges, a third-year student member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

Hodges said written on each flag planted in the lawn outside Coffman Union was the name of a person killed by Israel.

“We have 10,000 of (the flags) with the names of 10,000 martyrs that have been killed throughout this genocide in the past year,” Hodges said.

SDS anticipated official written warnings at some point during the planned six-hour protest, including verbal warnings of suspension, Hodges said.

Hodges said student protesters received two verbal warnings of suspension to students who did not leave the area during protests at University President Rebecca Cunningham’s inauguration on Oct. 18. No students were suspended.

According to SJP’s vice president, at UMN Divest Coalition’s most recent bi-weekly meeting with administration Sept. 27, which has been ongoing since the encampment in May, Provosts Harvey Charles and Raj Singh said the University will sponsor three Gazan students for the spring semester 2025. UMN Divest Coalition originally asked for 14 Gazan students to be sponsored, including full tuition and board.

Provost Rachel Croson allowed Israeli students planning to serve in the Israeli military to take a leave of absence and receive reimbursement for tuition in a Faculty Consultative Committee (FCC) meeting Oct. 19, 2023, which pro-Palestinian organizations were unaware of until recently, according to the SJP vice president.

“Students who want to return home to the affected region to serve in the military will be able to receive a tuition refund, and students who are struggling to focus on their academic work can reach out for flexibility in changing to S/N grading or dropping classes late,” according to the meeting minutes written by Amber Bathke.

University spokesperson Jake Ricker said in an email to the Minnesota Daily this comment was “a reiteration of existing University policies regarding leaves of absence.”

In a post published Oct. 6 on UMN Divest Coalition’s Instagram page, they said this was not a neutral action and represented the University choosing a side.

SJP’s vice president said while the University’s verbal agreement to sponsor three students from Gaza is positive, UMN Divest Coalition will continue to push for the University to sponsor more students, hoping to meet or exceed the number of students whose tuition was reimbursed to fight for the Israeli military.

SJP’s vice president said a portion of the UMN Divest Coalition, of which SJP is a member, are Jewish students and the Coalition aims to fight against Zionism, not the Jewish faith.

A group of around 20 student protesters gathered outside of Minnesota Hillel, a University of Minnesota Jewish cultural center, early Monday evening while the UMN Divest Coalition’s planned events were still ongoing.

Maddie Fontaine, a third-year student at the University who stopped to view the protest while passing by, said although she is unsure if Israel’s response to the attack by Hamas has been effective, she does not believe it is committing genocide.

Fontaine said she was initially interested in observing the protest because she has a friend who currently lives in Israel.

“I’ve known her my whole life, and she’s not like some horrible person, she wants peace for all of the countries in the Middle East,” Fontaine said. “I think that’s what most people do want who back (Israel) more.”

Fontaine said she does not believe protesters think all Israelis are evil, but protesters saying Oct. 7 was justified despite the harm caused to Israeli citizens rubbed her the wrong way.

“I think a lot of people here have only been fed one side, and they don’t actually fact-check what they’re seeing on social media,” Fontaine said.

At around 4:45 p.m., pro-Israel counter-protesters marched on the mall holding flags of Israel.

When Elsay Yoder, a second-year student at the University, came to Coffman Union this morning he was unaware that there were going to be student protesters demonstrating. 

Yoder said he believes student activism is key in initiating change.

“I think when we look at past history, we see young people, young adults, coming together and using their voices to make a difference, and I think that’s what’s going on here,” Yoder said. “I know some people might not believe that it’s gonna do much, but I think with time, persistence and energy, a lot can happen.”

Kianna Young, a third-year student at the University, said although she has not had time to regularly attend meetings hosted by pro-Palestinian student groups, she chose to participate in the protest on Monday to speak out for Palestinian citizens.

“I feel like I have the privilege to stand up and use my voice, and I want to make sure that I do use my privilege,” Young said.

Young said she participated in on-campus protests last spring, and believes it is important for students to use their voices to speak up for their beliefs.

“If there’s a bunch of us, they can’t silence all of us,” Young said. “It’s super important to do this collectively as a group, and also just exercise our rights as students.”

Young said, going forward, she hopes administration will meet student demands and stop leaving promises unfulfilled.