Protesters donned keffiyehs and Palestinian flags, chanted and held up signs near Jester Hall to protest the Israel Block Party occurring on Speedway Tuesday.
The Israel Block Party is the largest pro-Israel event on a college campus in North America. The Palestine Solidarity Committee stages a protest for the event every year, said steering committee member Ammer Qaddumi. This year, approximately 200 people gathered at any given time from noon to 3:30 p.m. Qaddumi said he felt that this year, amid the ongoing violence in Israel and Palestine following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, there was increased “momentum” for protesting the Block Party.
“Part of it is awareness, but I feel like more so it is just a constant reminder that people are here in support, and so it’s just reiterating that support,” an anonymous protester said.
Protesters only chanted during passing periods and did not hold up signs with sticks attached to them to comply with Sec.13-502 of the Institutional Rules on Student Services and Activities. Instead of standing in front of the Block Party on Speedway, protesters walked back and forth in front of the party’s tent to abide by University guidelines. The Institutional Rules forbid “obstruction of exits and constriction of hallways.”
In past years, protesters gathered on the steps of the McCombs School of Business building directly across from the Block Party. This year, McCombs preemptively told PSC they would not be allowed to protest there, Qaddumi said.
“We are here to make sure students and any passersby who see the Block Party understand that there’s something wrong with it and that it’s fundamentally serving people a distorted version of reality,” Qaddumi said.
There were no major confrontations between Block Party attendees and protestors.
“When I was coming, I did feel very unsafe … because I did not know what to expect,” said James Leonard, an Israel Block Party attendee. “We did have peaceful protesters, and even though I don’t agree with it, I think that’s a step in the right direction.”
