Gonzaga students and faculty protest war in Gaza, call on university to divest
About 100 people joined a protest against the Israel-Hamas War at Gonzaga’s campus Thursday, demanding the university cut ties with weapons manufacturers.
Student Hailey O’Hara rallied the crowd with a megaphone, encouraging students to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and “to disrupt business as usual” by walking out of their classes.
“As we stand here today,” O’Hara said, “2 million Palestinians are suffering in Gaza, forced to live in fear, surrounded by death and destruction, knowing that at moment they may be blown apart by American-made bombs.”
Organizers asked Gonzaga to withdraw from the Inland Northwest Consortium, a Gonzaga-led initiative to bring an aerospace tech hub to Airway Heights in partnership with companies including major defense contractors Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Collins Aerospace. The Seattle Times reported that Boeing is a major supplier of the Israel Defense Forces.
Similar protests at campuses nationwide erupted after the war broke out last year, and previous demonstrations at Gonzaga have asked for the same thing.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants Thursday for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas’ military chief, accusing them of war crimes.
Pope Francis in a new book this week called for allegations of genocide in Gaza to be investigated.
In an excerpt quoted by the Vatican News, Francis wrote: “According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide. It should be carefully investigated to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies.”
As a Jesuit institution, protest organizers said Gonzaga has an obligation to cut ties with any companies involved.
Gonzaga released a general statement in response to the protest Thursday, recognizing the importance of campus demonstrations and freedom of expression, without directly addressing connections to weaponmakers.
“Our Jesuit values call upon us to seek justice, uphold the dignity of all persons and to build bridges of understanding that can lead to a more hopeful and peaceful future,” the statement said. “We therefore respect the right of students, faculty, staff and administrators to exercise their intellectual freedom in the pursuit of these ends.”
The statement also linked to information on the university’s website about its endowment. A report outlines Gonzaga’s strategies and principals for socially responsible investing, but does not give specific details about the portfolio.
Student organizer Kevin Pinkelman said that while the university has disclosed how much of its portfolio is invested in fossil fuels, it hasn’t done the same for weapons manufacturers.
The protesters held signs with sayings such as, “divest and disclose” and “Zags against genocide.”
They marched around campus through drizzling rain, chanting common phrases like “free, free Palestine,” but also chants directed at the university’s trustees and leadership.
Andrea Brower, a sociology professor who participated, commended the students.
“It is deeply disturbing that there is even a debate about this,” Brower said.