Pro-Palestine protests at LSU not likely to go away anytime soon

Pro-Palestinian students are met with counter-protesters while marching for divestment at LSU (Matthew Perschall / LSU Reveille)

The first week of class at LSU was marked by the first pro-Palestine protest of the semester, with three students being led by police out of a Faculty Senate meeting they interrupted Tuesday.

The students, who represented Students for a Democratic Society, were protesting the senate’s denial of their request to comment on a resolution calling for LSU to remain neutral on social and political issues . Because the resolution was not on the agenda, the students did not have a right under Louisiana’s open meetings law to comment.

“Neutrality will never slide, humanity or genocide,” the three students chanted as university police ushered them out of the room.

Gabriela Juárez, secretary for the student organization, said Tuesday’s protest was just the beginning of their plans for the semester. The students were threatened with arrest if they attempted to re-enter the senate meeting, she added

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Since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, student protests have sprung up at universities and colleges across the United States. Israel’s response has led to the deaths of thousands of Palestinian civilians. Pro-Palestinian groups consider Israel’s response out of proportion, while pro-Zionist Jewish students have largely supported Israel’s actions.

Students for a Democratic Society at LSU is one of many organizations spearheading these student protests. Their march for divestment in May drew roughly 100 protesters and a similar number of counter-protesters.

Juárez said her organization is calling on LSU to divest and to back out of an U.S.-Israeli collaboration called the GoMed consortium , as well as the Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) project. As part of the partnership, LSU will work with companies in the oil and gas industry, which Juárez said are included in boycotts against companies that invest in Israel.

“The school is actively engaging in behavior which bolsters the Israeli economy and strengthens their efforts to eradicate the Palestinian people,” Juárez said.

Her organization took issue with the resolution because they view it as a way to silence these student protests.

While protests at LSU have so far remained peaceful, violence has occurred on some campuses. Civil disobedience has also led to the arrests of over 3,000 students across the nation during the spring.

While Juárez confirmed LSU students don’t have any immediate plans for more protests, she said they are likely to happen. Similar protests are expected at other universities in Louisiana throughout the semester.

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