University of Windsor students gathered on campus Thursday to launch a liberation zone in solidarity with those in Gaza and striking students across Canada, and around the world.
The liberation zone was set up around noon in the heart of campus in front of the Dillon Hall, with around 20 students and supporters present before rain began in the afternoon.
The zone in Windsor comes after encampments and Liberation Zones at other universities such as McGill, McMaster, Toronto Metropolitan University, the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto among others.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas' launched an attack from Gaza into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, with some 240 others taken hostage. In response, Israel launched an air, ground, and sea assault in Gaza, which is estimated to have killed nearly 35,000 people majority of those being women and children.
The University of Windsor says they're aware of the peaceful demonstration on campus, and they're working to ensure well-being, learning, and safety.
The university upholds freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly, aligning with their academic mission and commitment to health and safety.
Officials say they prioritize a campus culture that fosters the sharing of diverse perspectives and critical thinking, and they're encouraging all members of the university community to engage with one another respectfully and empathetically at all times.
Jana, one of the organizers and a 3rd year student at the University of Windsor, says they want to stand in solidarity with the all of the students that have been demonstrating for the last few weeks.
"We want our university to boycott and divest out of Israeli occupation, and to stop profiting from the genocide of the Palestinians. So we're just a little community, doing some teach-in's, talking about Palestine, talking about intersectionality, and building a community together based on solidarity and demanding better from our university," she said.
Jana says they have certain demands of the university.
"To fully disclose and be transparent about the financial dealings of the university. To then divest those financial dealings out of investment funds, and then we want them to support students through psychological counselling, through supporting protest, and supporting the right to be pro-Palestinian without facing harassment on our campus."
They're also calling for the administration to declare its opposition to how the Israel Defence Force is waging its war against the Palestinian people.
She says they're happy with the turnout of support on the first day, and will continue to share their message going forward.
"The University of Windsor is an educational institution, and our education and money that we pay towards it should not support the death of Palestinians. That is our motto and that is what we want to change," she said.
Organizers and supporters were out until around 8 p.m. on Thursday, and future plans are still being worked on.
The University of Windsor has also issued a statement related to investments: "The University of Windsor's dedication to responsible investing was demonstrated in 2020 when it became a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment, pledging to integrate environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues into all of our investment strategies. The commitments that the University made by becoming a signatory are articulated in our Responsible Investment Policy. The integration of ESG factors into the University's investment decisions is primarily done by external investment managers, who may screen portfolios to assure alignment with the University's ESG values."