Protestors gather on campus, call on university to divest from 2 companies doing business

A protestor speaks to the crowd in front of Bricker Hall during a “Free Palestine” protest Friday. Credit: Zachary Rilley | The Lantern.

About 150 people gathered outside the Ohio Union and marched to Bricker Hall Friday calling on Ohio State to divest from two companies they say contribute to human rights violations against Palestinians.

The protest came weeks after the Undergraduate Student Government’s General Assembly passed a resolution that looked for the university to divest from Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Caterpillar Inc, two companies conducting business in Israel. However, the resolution was left unsigned, following the end of the former USG administration’s term April 12, meaning it would receive no further consideration.

Angelina Atieh, a second-year in biomedical science and president of Students for Justice in Palestine, said the organization will continue its advocacy for divestment beyond the General Assembly’s passage of the resolution. 

“Our work does not end in the passage of resolution. It does not end in a protest,” Atieh said. “It is our responsibility to keep the momentum going.”

According to the Office of Marketing and Communications the university did not consider the resolution because it represented the opinion of the 54th General Assembly, which ended April 12, and an outgoing administration, not all of USG. As a result, it did not “meet the threshold for consideration outlined in the university’s investment policy.”

University spokesperson Chris Booker said in a statement the university supports the rights of its people to assemble on campus.

“Ohio State has an unwavering commitment to free speech and encourages our students, faculty and staff to engage in respectful discussion and debate,” Booker said.

The protest began outside the Union before moving inside the building. Protestors then occupied the building for about 45 minutes as they sat, chanted and listened to speeches. 

Pranav Jani, an English professor and the faculty adviser for Students for Justice in Palestine, addressed protestors at the Union, saying the U.S. should stand with Palestinians.

“We’re a democracy for freedom,” Jani said. “We need to end this settler occupation, and we need to say, ‘Freedom for Palestine.’ ”

Protestors then left the Union at around 3 p.m., marching along North High Street. They momentarily stopped and chanted on the corners of East 16th and 18th avenues.

The protest then moved down East 18th Avenue and turned left on College Avenue before marching through the Oval and stopping at Bricker Hall around 3:30 p.m.

Protestors attempted to enter Bricker Hall, but  found the doors were locked and continued to chant outside the building.. The crowd then taped various papers, including copies of a letter addressed to University President Kristina M. Johnson, across the walls, windows and doors of the building.

“The violence in Palestine is unfathomable, and we, as Palestinians and students of your institution who contribute to the funds that allow for the killing of our people, cannot enable this any further,” the letter stated.

Booker said the Ohio Department of Public Safety and University Police made the decision to lock the doors of Bricker Hall once they had seen the size of the crowd.

“Public Safety and OSUPD determined the size of the crowd would overwhelm the lobby of Bricker Hall, posing a safety risk to the assembled demonstrators and the building occupants and made the decision to lock the doors to Bricker Hall,” Booker said. 

The protest continued outside Bricker Hall, with students speaking and chanting, until about 4:30 p.m., when the organizers ended the protest after marching back to the Union.

Khalid Dada, a third-year in public policy analysis and a member of Students for Justice in Palestine, said the group will now look to gain support in the University Senate, just as they did in advocating for the divestment resolution to pass in USG.

“It’s just shifting our focus and figuring out, finding allies within the University Senate so that we can advance our resolution there as well,” Dada said.