UNLV Joins Worldwide Pro-Palestine Protests
In response to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, university students around the world gathered on their campuses to protest. In some cases, students have set up encampment protests until their universities disclose their investments and divest funds from pro-Israeli companies or organizations. Our own local university, UNLV, joined the call earlier this month.
Student protestors around the world have faced excessive police force and threats of expulsion for practicing their First Amendment Right to assemble peaceably. The mainstream media repeatedly slandered the courageous efforts of these protestors, labeling them “anti-Semitic.” President Biden also condemned the protests, claiming they are “reprehensible and dangerous” during his Passover speech on April 21, 2024.
The growing resistance against Israel’s war on Gaza carried to every city in the U.S., including Las Vegas. Since October, the UNLV Palestine Coalition, Students for Justice in Palestine, and other groups began protesting on campus during the day. Upon speaking with the UNLV Palestine Coalition, it is clear their mission is to protest peacefully and challenge UNLV’s President Keith Whitfield’s pro-Israel bias.
Keith E. Whitfield, Ph. D., the president of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, emailed UNLV faculty and students to express his solidarity with Israel.
“He rightly acknowledged the pain and suffering that the deaths of 1,163 Israelis caused in our community,” the UNLV Palestine Coalition stated. “But, at the time of his first email, 1,200 Palestinians in Gaza had already been killed by Israel after Oct. 7th, and he was utterly silent about these deaths. As we all well know, Israel has now killed more than 35,287 Palestinians in Gaza, and Whitfield still has not acknowledged the pain and suffering this is causing in our community.”
Why Students Are Protesting
UNLV’s response to the conflict led several students to ask the university to “disclose and divest” from Israel. The phrase calls for universities to reveal a detailed accounting of where their endowment is invested. If the report showed UNLV is funding or funded by companies directly involved in the war, protestors asked to end relations with those companies.
“In the best case, divestment means withdrawing investments from all companies that do business with Israel and/or produce weapons or surveillance,” the UNLV Palestine Coalition said. “But this may not happen in Nevada; we have anti-BDS laws, meaning that it is technically illegal for the government to engage with businesses that boycott Israel. We would love to see UNLV be the entity to challenge the anti-BDS laws, for which the university would receive support from the ACLU and general acclaim.”
BDS stands for Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions. This movement began in 2005 with Palestinian founders standing in solidarity with Palestine and urging for freedom, justice, and equality. BDS began initiatives to boycott Israel-affiliated establishments which quickly gained the attention of several states. The Jewish Virtual Library states that 38 states have adopted laws, executive orders, or resolutions designed to discourage boycotts against Israel. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld these laws by repeatedly dismissing similar appeals court requests.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) historically defends the right to boycotting and free speech. Their opening letter combating anti-BDS laws states, “While we take no position on Israel boycotts, the BDS movement, or Israel-Palestine, we do maintain that states should not be sanctioning business on the basis of First Amendment-protected expression and association.”
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Authoritative Responses to Protests
Several rallies on campus formed via sharing social media posts and word of mouth. One post encouraged students to stand in solidarity with Columbia students by attending a rally on campus on April 22. With over 500 likes, the news spread quickly, and a sizable crowd gathered to show their support for the Free Palestine movement.
Several faculty members have expressed a range of opinions about the protests. “Some professors have shown up to rallies, been faculty advisors to student groups, and written letters to Whitfield criticizing his actions (or lack thereof),” the UNLV Palestine Coalition states. “At our last event, ‘Voices of Resistance: An Evening of Palestinian Art & Poetry,’ we had many faculty members attend. There are, of course, professors who have done the opposite.”
As seen with several other universities, the police presence at UNLV exceeded the number of protestors. “There is always excessive police presence at rallies for Palestine,” the UNLV Palestine Coalition stated. “This is true of our campus too, where just today [May 7], there were university, metro, and undercover cops present in full force.”
The Youth Always Sparks Change
Historically, rallying for a cause nationwide has ended in victory. From The Vietnam War protests to the Civil Rights Movement to the Women’s Suffrage Movement, a drastic change occurred when people stuck together. Young activists see the injustices occurring, and instead of ignoring them out of convenience, they create solutions.
Local activists embody the same spirit translated across the thousands of other students protesting for the same cause. “Vegas has a small but burgeoning activist scene,” the UNLV Palestine Coalition states. “Not only are there protests and cultural and educational events essential to address the horrors we are witnessing in real-time, but they are laying the foundation for further advocacy.”
The UNLV Palestine Coalition also shared that on May 7, UNLV verbally agreed to disclose all UNLV investments. “This is a huge win for our movement and is a direct result of the hard work of UNLV Students for Justice in Palestine, the new faculty affinity group, Faculty for Justice in Palestine, and our group,” they said. “Whether these admins will be held accountable for their commitment probably depends on students and faculty continuing to put pressure.”
This accomplishment proves that dedication to any cause will inevitably shake the tables and spark a transformation. Students continue their cause, affirming they won’t stop unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire and until Palestine is fully liberated.
#GetinMotion With the UNLV Palestine Coalition and Local Protests
With the spring semester over, the size of protests on campus slowly decreased. This doesn’t mean the end of protesting altogether or that the work is done. Several other groups in Vegas regularly plan rallies around the city, especially in the wake of Israel’s bombing of Rafah.
Follow the UNLV Palestine Coalition on Instagram to see more events taking place on campus.
Also, follow Nevadans for Palestinian Liberation on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to see when the next protest will be announced.
You can also support the Free Palestine movement by donating to the UNRWA to aid suffering Palestinian refugees.
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