Pro-Palestine and pro-Israel protestors faced off at Tulane University on Thursday in a clash that left at least three students injured and resulted in several arrests, according to Tulane University and President Mike Fitts.
In a statement Thursday night, Fitts called the events “deeply distressing.”
“To be clear,” Fitts said in the statement, “We condemn and are outraged by today’s violence and the hateful language and rhetoric we heard. It is counter to everything we stand for at Tulane. What started out as a peaceful demonstration unfortunately devolved into a violent incident and a dark day for our community.”
The protest began after the group Tulane Students For Palestine posted an open letter on Instagram on Tuesday condemning Tulane’s response to the war, followed by a post promoting a rally for Palestine.
The group demanded that Tulane “denounce the Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people,” “divest from Israeli occupation” and “protect Muslim and Arab Tulane students and others who speak out against Israel.”
More than 100 Palestine supporters gathered on Freret Street Thursday afternoon. Between 70 and 100 people in support of Israel also gathered across the street. About 40 members of Tulane and New Orleans Police Departments monitored the event.
Two arrests were made, the school said in a statement. Neither of those people are students, according to WDSU. It was unclear what led to each arrest, but violence briefly erupted after a truck with a Palestinian flag drove down Freret Street at around 1:15 p.m.
Within an hour of the rally’s start, the truck drove down the street waving a Palestinian flag. It stopped and a man standing in the bed of the truck attempted to burn an Israeli flag, photos and video show.
That act led to an altercation between a Palestine supporter and a man draped in an Israeli flag, photos and video show. Several members of TUPD, NOPD and Tulane faculty quickly intervened.
Freshman Gabriel Rudelman said he saw videos of the fight and wanted to see what the commotion was.
“I’ve never seen antisemitism like that — I’ve heard of it and I’ve seen it on the news, but seeing it in person is scary,” Rudelman said. “It’s scary to be a Jew right now, even on a very Jewish campus.”
By the middle of the rally, pro-Palestine protesters stood on Freret with signs, flags, drums and a microphone with a large speaker. Senior Anaya Rodgers was among them. Rodgers, who is Black, said she owes Palestinians respect and support because they have stood up for Black people in the past.
“It’s very interesting to me to see that we’re on different sides of this, when in reality, what we’re fighting for is peace,” Rodgers said of Israel and Palestine. “What we’re fighting for is justice. We don’t want anyone to be killed.”
While the rally organized by Tulane Students For Palestine ended at 1:45 p.m., members from the Tulane, Loyola and greater New Orleans community continued to rally for several more hours, according to the @tulane4palestine Instagram. Towards the end of the rally, most pro-Palestinian activists began moving to Broadway Street.
Fitts said three students were assaulted and Tulane said earlier Thursday that those injuries were minor. Tulane also said the protesters gathered on a public sidewalk, “over which we do not have control.”
More arrests are expected as the school reviews video evidence, Fitts said.
Throughout the rally, Tulane students, staff, faculty, Loyola University students and New Orleans residents split down Freret Street waving flags and holding signs. Activists from both sides chanted “stop killing kids” at each other.
Fitts said some protestors were not affiliated with Tulane and called those individuals’ actions “violent, deplorable, deliberately provocative and exploitative of the profound sorrow and anger so many of us have been experiencing over the last few weeks.”
Tulane conflict resolution specialist Matt Wegmann said he has seen a rise in student concerns reported as the violence in Gaza and Israel intensifies.
After a student graffitied a pro-Palestine message across from Howard-Tilton Memorial Library on Wednesday, Wegmann said students’ concerns grew.
Police arrested and charged the student with criminal damage to property on Thursday.
Facilities services has since painted over the message, which read “From the river to the sea.” The complete slogan, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” refers to the establishment of a Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
At Tulane, where 43% of students are Jewish, many viewed the statement as antisemitic. Many Jewish groups say it calls for the destruction of Israel and dismantling of a Jewish state.
Wegmann said he hopes leaders of both Israeli and Palestinian student groups can come together to discuss their differences in peace.
“You’re not going to have a discussion in an environment like this,” Wegmann said. “We’re not going to solve the Israel-Hamas-Palestine solution. But we can come up with perhaps some mutual ground to stand on as far as what Tulane is going to do about it, how these conversations can be had in a more productive way.”
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