Protesters lock arms in a ring around their tents on April 25, 2024 on the Auraria Campus in Denver. (Henry Larson/CU Independent)
Editor’s note: This story was updated with additional information about a meeting between demonstrators and state leaders, as well as the protesters demands for the university system.
Over 100 pro-Palestinian organizers set up an encampment on the Tivoli Quad on the Auraria Campus in Denver on Thursday, April 25, a campus shared by the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University and the University of Colorado Denver.
Protestors, led by the Denver-based chapter of the leftist Students for a Democratic Society, are calling for the CU system to divest from corporations operating in Israel.
Since 2016, CU Denver has received almost $3 million from contracts related to Israel. The group also wants the university system to no longer accept grants from corporations that contract with the U.S. military and end all study abroad programs in Israel.
The demonstration follows weeks of protests at prominent institutions across the country, such as Columbia University, where organizers have faced legal action for similar demonstrations.
As of 10:00 p.m., there was no police presence at the encampment, though many protestors said they have been warned that they will be ticketed or arrested if they continue to demonstrate overnight. A number of police and sheriff’s vehicles parked or patrolled near the quad over the course of the night.
Denver Police Department spokesperson Katherine McCandless told the CU Independent it had no plans to disperse the crowd Thursday evening.
“We’re going to stay for as long as we can,” said Khalid Hamu, one of the organizers and a senior at CU Denver.
Protest organizers Paul Nelson and Khalid Hamu speak in front of a crowd of demonstrators on the Auraria Campus on April 25, 2024. (Henry Larson/CU Independent)
Protestors began gathering at the quad around noon and were joined by state representatives Elisabeth Epps and Tim Hernandez for several hours.
As the demonstrations continued throughout the night, a representative from the Auraria Campus said they emphasized the importance of preserving the balance between free speech and student safety. Devra Ashby, the director of marketing and communications for the Auraria Higher Education Center, said the campus spoke with students about campus policies around peaceful protests.
“Our role is to educate and provide forums for learning by engaging in thoughtful, respectful dialogue and kindness,” said Ashby. “We will continue fostering civil engagement and peaceable assembly while maintaining safety and our academic mission.”
A demonstrator holds a Palestinian flag while overlooking the protest encampment in Denver on April 25, 2024. (Henry Larson/CU Independent)
Paul Nelson, an MSU senior and Students for a Democratic Society organizer, said they do not encourage protesters to resist if arrested by law enforcement. Nelson said he and other organizers spoke with a representative from the Auraria Campus and the state department of education just after 7 p.m. Thursday, although he said the short meeting wasn’t “productive.”
Contact CU Independent Special Investigations Editor Henry Larson at henry.larson@colorado.edu.
Contact CU Independent Managing Editor Jessi Sachs at jessica.sachs@colorado.edu.
