SJSWANA stages an encampment at UNC Charlotte to advocate for Palestine and support Columbia University students

Social Justice for South West Asia and North Africa (SJSWANA) set up a Gaza solidarity encampment zone in the CHHS/COED Plaza to continue their protests regarding the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. 

The group occupied the space from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. until they were reportedly told to remove their tents by Charlotte security. SJSWANA plans to continue the encampment until at least the upcoming Board of Trustees meeting on April 25.

At approximately 4:30 p.m. on April 22, Larry Gourdine, associate dean & director of student assistance and support services, told protestors that the encampment structures needed to be removed, according to SJSWANA. SJSWANA was told that if they did not comply, they could face disciplinary action or arrest.

Charlotte security cited university reservation and structures policy as their reasoning for telling the group to remove the tents. The Niner Times is reaching out to the University for clarification and comment on the encampment removal.

SJSWANA removed the encampment structures by 6:30 p.m., but protestors remained in the Plaza.

The SJSWANA demonstration comes in solidarity with students nationwide, including Yale University and Columbia University, which also set up encampments to raise awareness for Palestine and have seen resistance from their universities. 

SJSWANA hopes that their encampment zone at Charlotte will further raise awareness of their cause. 

"There are multiple things we want to address with this protest. It's important we mobilize as students in Columbia University face mass arrests for this same action," said SJSWANA. "It's also important we physically show UNC Charlotte that we do not accept their recent actions regarding our resolution, their censorship of the Mount Zion project and their continued complicity and ignorance of the genocide of Palestinians by Israel through Western backing. But the problems we're addressing are greater than our campus and greater than all campuses in the United States. We must remember that the greatest problem is this genocide and modern colonial projects."

In their encampment zone, the group read a list of martyrs who have been killed in the ongoing genocide. The group aims to occupy the space until their voices are heard and currently plans to stay in the area through at least the end of the week. 

"We decided that we're going to stay out here until our demands are met," said an SJSWANA organizer. "So I thought that tents would be a good idea that, 'Hey, we're not leaving until y'all listen to us.' I think it's a great way to bring attention."

SJSWANA set up tents with the Palestinian flag as well as signs stating "Free Palestine" and "Stand for Palestine Against Israeli Genocide." 

The group hopes to pressure UNC Charlotte's administration to be transparent regarding investments from the Board of Trustees.  

"We're applying pressure on our campus to be transparent with its investments and its Board of Trustees and end its involvement in the Mount Zion project because this ultimately disenfranchises and contributes to the genocide of Palestinians and strengthens Israel, the recognized perpetrator of this 76-year long genocide," said SJSWANA. 

Members of SJSWANA encourage UNC Charlotte students to join in solidarity and educate themselves on the matter at hand. 

"I really hope that this brings awareness to students on campus, that we want UNC Charlotte to divest and that it brings awareness to where our money is going. We don't want our money to go to displacing Palestinians. So I really hope that it brings awareness and more people join in solidarity," said an SJSWANA organizer at the encampment zone. 

Despite the University denouncing the divestment resolution and the Student Government Association dismissing it at their March 28 meeting, the group plans to continue its efforts by protesting and maintaining a presence on campus. 

In their reasoning for protesting, SJSWANA hopes to unite students and push past inconsistencies in Charlotte's view of diverse student groups.  

"UNC Charlotte uses its diverse student body as a trophy and an accessory instead of taking the necessary steps to actually understand and listen to that diverse student body. We saw it with its performative land acknowledgment, which fails to implement any meaningful action for indigenous students affected, and we're seeing it now with UNC Charlotte's perpetual ignorance of Palestinians in the face of one of the most recognizable modern genocides while parading institutional neutrality," said SJSWANA. 

SJSWANA said that they have received multiple donations in support of their advocacy, including food donations from JVP Charlotte, along with almost $400 in monetary donations.

"People support us, and we hope the school acknowledges that as they make a decision with our resolution," said SJSWANA.

Columbia University was the first American university to have students protest with an encampment. The protest started on April 18, with hundreds of protesters occupying their south lawn to push Columbia to divest from Israel. The April 18 protests escalated to the point where Columbia administration suspended students to be able to have police arrest them. Over 100 demonstrators were arrested, and police removed an encampment. 

As of April 22, Columbia has moved to online classes to reduce tensions and protect students. In an announcement by the University's president, Minouche Shafik, "intimidating and harassing behavior" was cited as the reasoning behind the decision. 

On April 22, 47 protesting students were served with summonses at Yale University. The arrests were related to violating Yale's policies on occupying outdoor space. Students were charged with first-degree criminal trespass, a misdemeanor and then released. The protesters were calling for Yale to divest from military weapons manufacturers. After the arrests, over 200 protestors blocked the intersections of Grove Street and College Street. 

Alongside Yale and Columbia, protestors from other Universities such as New York University, The New School, MIT and The University Of Michigan have partaken in advocating for the cause. 

The Board of Trustees will meet on April 25 in the Popp Martin Student Union. SJSWANA and The Revolutionary Student Front plan to attend and continue to advocate. 

This is a developing story. The Niner Times will provide more updates as they become available.