by James A. Bacon
Pro-Palestinian militants erected tents last night at their “liberation zone for Gaza” near the University of Virginia chapel in defiance of orders to take them down. The administration’s immediate response: engage in dialogue.
“We are writing to acknowledge the document you shared with us early this morning outlining the interests of your group,” wrote Kenyon Bonner, vice president and chief student affairs officer, and Brie Gertler, vice provost for academic affairs, to the Gaza zone participants.
“We thought it would be most productive to respond in writing, with the hope of scheduling a time to discuss your goals in greater detail with the appropriate representatives from your group,” they said.
The protesters posted their response, written in bold letters over a copy of the letter, on Instagram: “Bullshit.”
An ad hoc group of radicals organized under the banner of UVA Encampment for Gaza first set up tents in an “encampment” Sunday but took them down when confronted by University police. While pro-Palestinian student demonstrations took place on the Lawn, the Encampment for Gaza maintained its own desultory, round-the-clock gathering all week near the UVA Chapel on the far side of the Rotunda. The student groups ceased protesting as exams began, but the Charlottesville radicals, buttressed by UVA faculty and graduate students, persisted.
Numbers in the tentless encampment fluctuated as people came and went but generally ranged around 40 to 50 as the week dragged on. Two days ago, the group issued an ultimatum: UVA had until noon Friday to divest endowment investments with links to Israel and to cease all academic relations with Israeli higher-ed institutions.
The deadline passed with no immediate answer from UVA. Then around 4:00 p.m., the administration delivered the Bonner-Gertler letter to the militants. About two hours later, the pro-Palestinians responded with their profane Instagram post, and then another post accusing the University of “letting” Nazis with tiki torches march through UVA in 2017 while threatening students in 20204 who were protesting genocide.
“Administration, will you send the police on us like you didn’t send them on the white supremacists?” asked the post. “The ball is in your court.”
Social media posts showed that tents were back up and students were “still holding space” last night.
Around 8:00 a.m. this morning, Encampment for Gaza issued a call for reinforcements. “Police and admin are back at camp this morning and want students to take down tents. We need numbers to defend the camp!! Please come now.”
In their letter to the militants yesterday, Bonner and Gertler addressed the group’s main demands.
Regarding the demand for divestment, they noted that UVIMCO, the entity that administers UVA’s $14 billion endowment, has an Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility (ACIR) that considers how to balance the need for strong investment returns with ESG (environmental, social, governance) factors.
“Following the student referendum in February, members of the ACIR met with students who are interested in the issues you have highlighted,” Bonner and Gertler said. “The ACIR would welcome the opportunity to hear more about your questions and concerns. We would be happy to arrange this for you.”
Regarding the demand to sever ties to Israeli universities, the administration’s response was a flat no: “To terminate study-abroad programs, fellowships, research collaborations, and other collaborations with Israeli academic institutions would compromise our commitment to academic freedom and our obligation to enabling the free exchange of ideas on our Grounds, both of which are bedrock values of the University.”
The administration agreed to a third demand to allow students, faculty and staff to protest “without the risk of administrative discipline” — with one proviso, that the “expressive activity” occurs “within the limits of the laws and policies we have in place.” (The letter made no mention of the wearing of masks for the purpose of concealment, illegal under state law but a provision that, according to UVA, local prosecutors are unwilling to pursue in court.)
The letter also mentioned the work of the University’s Task Force on Religious Diversity and Belonging, created in December to ensure the University is welcoming to individuals across the full spectrum of religions and cultures.
“Members of this task force have worked tirelessly over the course of the last several months, examining data, engaging broadly with members of our community, and considering the ways in which we can ensure that the University of Virginia is welcoming to students, faculty, and staff from the full spectrum of religious and cultural backgrounds,” Bonner and Gertler said.
It wasn’t clear why UVA officials thought the reconciliatory activities of the task force would be of interest to the Encampment for Gaza protesters, whose ideology is militantly pro-Palestinian and whose rhetoric justifies violence against Israel, as seen in this Instagram post yesterday:
We are inspired by the students around the globe, with origins at Columbia University, who have initiated encampments as a call to demand that academic institutions end their complicity in Israel’s genocide of Palestinians, the brutal apartheid state, and the ongoing Nakba.
It is noteworthy that organizers attributed their understanding of events from the intellectual environment at UVA fostered by the Ryan administration itself.
In our collective experience at UVA, we have learned of oppression throughout history, including the horrific atrocities of slavery that occurred to create these very grounds. Our University has educated us on liberation movements across all time and lands, yet have continually proven themselves to stand on the wrong side of history. Resistance is not an abstract academic theory. An apology will not be accepted. The students of this university will not stand idly by.
The encampment was still standing and the protesters still posting on Instagram around 10 a.m. this morning. The Jefferson Council will keep members updated as this fluid situation plays out.
This article is republished with permission from the Jefferson Council blog. James A. Bacon is executive director of the Jefferson Council.
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