Less than a week after some 50 students held a pro-Palestinian protest on Texas A&M University’s campus, an estimated 300-plus students returned Monday to rally against the United States’ continued support of Israel and against Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent response to similar protests at the University of Texas at Austin.
The protest in Academic Plaza was organized by Aggies Against Apartheid, a self-described coalition of Texas A&M students focused on protecting free speech on campus. Organizers and protesters declined to speak with media outlets and instead handed out pamphlets listing their demands. The protest began around noon and continued until 8 p.m., remaining peaceful throughout.
Demonstrators create signs in front of the Texas A&M Academic Building before holding a protest on campus Monday in College Station.
According to the pamphlet, the protesters are demanding that Texas A&M divest any and all involvement with Israel; condemn the police response to similar pro-Palestinian protests on Texas University campuses; and denounce Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
People are also reading…
The invasion of Gaza began after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis. Since the subsequent Israeli military response, over 30,000 Palestinians are reported to have died in Gaza. Hamas has not indicated it will surrender.
An estimated 300-plus students gather late Monday evening to take part in the final pro-Palestinian march on Texas A&M University’s main campus.
Akkad Ajam, the organizer of the protest, spoke to the crowd of students detailing their demands and their displeasure with the reception of other protests around the country. On Wednesday, Department of Public Safety officers arrested 57 students protesting on the UT Austin campus. More were arrested during Monday’s protest in Austin.
“Sixty million [dollars] needs to be divested and not put into the occupation [of Gaza],” he said. “Our second demand is to condemn the violent and brutal persecution of peaceful protesters at higher educational institutions taking place all over the country. More specifically, the crackdown against our own Texas campuses that contradicts the mission of the university as a center of instructional freedom.”
Demonstrators make signs in front of the Texas A&M Academic Building on campus Monday in College Station.
Before the protest, Joe E. Ramirez, Texas A&M Vice President of Student Affairs, sent an email to the student body asking them to remain respectful.
“While we acknowledge the gravity of recent global events, we continue to urge all members of our Aggie community to continue to engage in constructive dialogue while upholding Texas A&M’s values of respect, leadership and integrity during this challenging period,” he said in the email.
Ramirez showed up and spoke to protesters, who asked Ramirez if he could help set up a meeting with university officials. Ramirez told protesters he would look into it.
After speaking with protesters, Ramirez told The Eagle that he hopes A&M students would continue to be an example of how to peacefully assemble.
“I think the biggest thing on this one is that our students are showing that they can express themselves openly and freely and do it in a peaceful manner,” he said.
Kelly Brown, the associate vice president of Texas A&M Marketing & Communication, said in a statement to The Eagle that gatherings expected to draw more than 25 people must reserve a space for the demonstration.
“As a public institution of higher learning, Texas A&M is committed to creating an environment conducive to the free exchange of ideas and opinions,” she said in the statement. “We provide various locations for expression, including Academic Plaza, which is where Monday’s protest was held.”
Brown said the university bases its rules for protests and demonstrations on the U.S. Constitution and state laws.
“Any acts that are disruptive to the normal operations of the university, including classes and university business, or that infringe upon the rights of others will not be tolerated,” she said in the statement. “Fortunately, the five demonstrations since October have all been peaceful and without incident.”
For the majority of the afternoon and into the evening the protesters painted signs, wrote letters to federal representatives and held discussions on the history of the Israeli-Gaza conflict.
Pro-Palestinian signs line the area in from of the Texas A&M Academic Building on campus Monday, April 29, 2024 in College Station.
Most of the protesters were wearing face masks and Keffiyehs — a traditional head dress — in order to obscure their identity from media and others who were taking photos and videos. Mohammed Ayachi, a former student and current activist who traveled to the protest in order to speak, explained the thought behind the practice often seen at pro-Palestinian protests.
“The thing is, people don’t cover their faces out of embarrassment, but the fact that they cover their faces is an embarrassment to the United States,” he said. “They feel like they’re not able to speak freely their opinions without facing some sort of punishment or retribution. That’s why they cover their faces, to protect themselves and their careers.”
Joe Gonzalez, a Navy veteran who worked on nuclear power submarines, said he noticed the protest when walking across campus and that he had trouble understanding why the students would cover their faces. He said that covering one’s face dilutes the message of the protest.
“You are protected to do what we are doing right here,” he said. “You are protected to say what you believe is right. America was founded on you have the right to go protest if you believe what you’re doing is right. You should never be scared to exercise your rights.”
Despite disagreeing with the protesters on some issues, Gonzalez said he still appreciated being able to have a productive conversation with them and was glad to see they were exercising their rights.
“I enlisted in the Navy because I believe in the constitution,” he said. “I absolutely love to see people protesting. If you’re protesting for the right reason, if you’re protesting for the wrong reason, put it out there. The way free speech works is that if you have a bad idea, you put it out there and then it gets corrected. It will get shut down.”
Just before 7 p.m. the students gathered in preparation for a march around the main campus. Before departing, Kazim Gazi, the president of the Texas A&M Muslim Students’ Association spoke to the crowd on the importance of protest.
“When it comes to the Palestinian cause, we all know that it’s not just a Muslim issue,” he said. “We all know that it’s not just a Jewish issue. That it’s not just a Christian issue, but it is a humanitarian issue. When we see mothers losing their beloved children, kids being intentionally starved, family lineages being completely wiped out, generations of mental and physical trauma being created by the Zionist entity, you don’t have to be Muslim to support Palestine. You only have to be human.”
