Tent camp at the University of Washington has clear rules | iRADIO

There are 120 to 130 tents of various sizes on the grassy area in front of the George Washington University Law School. The faculty building has an entrance door protected from the inside by chipboard, and a huge American flag hangs from its roof. But there are Palestinian flags everywhere.

Camp on the grounds of George Washington University has clearly defined rules. “Rely on each other, take care of your hygiene, don’t bring drugs here, don’t talk to the police and don’t talk to the media unless you’re trained to do so,” reads a plaque below the statue of George Washington, who is holding several Palestinian flags. In addition, according to the rules in the camp, it is forbidden to make sexual contacts.

Fortunately, the journalism student, who refused to reveal her name, was able to give an interview. “We are asking the university to cut itself off from Israeli sources. We want her to cut off all academic contacts with Israeli entities. We request a transparent presentation of the funds from which the school is financed. And we also demand amnesty for all already detained students and protection of pro-Palestinian speech,” the student sums up.

According to her, it is also about drawing attention to what is happening in the Gaza Strip and in the city of Rafah, where the Israeli operation against the terrorists of the Hamas movement continues.

George Washington University Chancellor Ellen Granberg declined to negotiate with the protesters’ terms, according to a spokeswoman for the protesting students. After all, similar to a number of rectors of other universities in the United States.

Universities are heavily dependent on the money of wealthy sponsors, and they do not want to let their students tell them where to invest and who to take money from. In the 1980s, however, students managed to force university management to divest themselves of shares in companies supporting the apartheid regime in the then South African Republic through protests.

“We don’t know what will happen on our campus. Frankly, it’s a shame that the school management and Rector Granberg want to intervene by force rather than deal with us students,” adds the journalism student.

There are two police cars on both sides of the street in front of the park with the tent camp. A helicopter regularly flies over the campus.

Students and their non-academic supporters want to stay on the George Washington University campus no matter what scare tactics the school or city uses against them.

Living conditions in the tent camp are nothing compared to the situation in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, according to a student spokeswoman, who asked not to be named.

Pavel Novak

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