Hundreds of students gathered at the library mall Tuesday to demand UNT disclose any investments in companies linked to Israel.
DENTON, Texas — Hundreds of students marched Tuesday at the University of North Texas, demanding the school disclose any foundation investments that might benefit Israel’s military.
The Palestine Solidarity Committee, a student organization, coordinated the walkout.
“Our youth is fighting a just cause for the liberation of Palestine,” Palestine Solidarity Committee member Talia Irsh told WFAA. “They are standing up to say that we are not okay with genocide. We are not okay with our institutions funding genocide and profiting off of genocide.”
Some students passing by wondered aloud whether the protest would turn violent like similar demonstrations in Austin and New York, but authorities and participants at UNT did not clash.
Irsh called the state police response to a similar demonstration at the University of Texas “disgusting.” Troopers arrested dozens of protesters there and used tear gas to control the crowds.
In Denton, students chanted for more than an hour at the library mall and marched around campus. They stopped at the administration building to demand the school apologize for hosting reservists in the Israeli army during a Q&A session in April.
Protestors also covered the campus’s walkways in chalk art, calling for Palestine’s liberation.
In a statement, university officials told WFAA they “recognize and support” students’ right to assemble. They added that the school took extra precautions to ensure students’ safety.
Campus police were visible, monitoring the protest, but did not interact with participants.
The demonstration was considerably larger than similar protests last week at UT Dallas and UT Arlington, which also finished without incident. UNT has more than 49,000 students enrolled, about 10,000 more than UT Arlington and about 20,000 more than UT Dallas.