Pro-Palestine, Pro-Israel protests continue at Indiana University following arrests

One day after Indiana State Police and IUPD officers used riot shields and zip ties to detain 33 pro-Palestine protesters at Indiana University's Dunn Meadow, protesters returned to the meadow Friday.

A few hundred people including IU students, alumni and faculty gathered with Palestinian flags and signs calling for the liberation of Palestinian people, a ceasefire in Gaza and the resignation of IU leaders including President Pamela Whitten, who recently received a vote of no confidence from faculty.

The protest was organized by the IU Divestment Coalition, a campus group that advocates for the university to sever financial ties with Israel along guidelines for the Boycott, Divest and Sanction Movement and end its partnership with the regional Naval Surface Warface Center, Crane base, among other demands.

On the north side of Seventh Street, other protestors once again gathered at IU's Chabad House, donning Israeli flags and dancing to a mix of Israeli music and American pop hits. Shortly after 6 p.m., clusters of protestors formed on either side of the street.

As cars drove by, protestors waved flags and signs. Some drivers honked and waved, eliciting cheers. One driver rolled down his window to stick out his middle finger at the Chabad house while his passenger did the same toward the protestors in Dunn Meadow.

Nearby university police officers occasionally asked people to step back from the road but did not engage physically. In Dunn Meadow, after someone said police were near, people sitting on the grass and blankets quickly stood up and formed one large circle facing outward. A speaker commended the group's preparedness while a man with a piece of paper labeled "medic" taped to his back told protestors to protect their faces and not run if officers deployed gas.

Both sets of organizers declined to describe the group outside Chabad House as a counter-protest and said they intended to protest peacefully unless police or other protesters became violent. Still, some in both groups struggled to relate to those on the other side of the street.

Chabad director Levi Cunin said he couldn't understand why some Jewish people joined the pro-Palestine protestors with signs such as "Jews say ceasefire now." While he lamented the loss of life throughout Israel and Gaza, saying "one life is too many," he said Israel ultimately isn't culpable for any of the estimated 34,000 Palestinians killed in the Israel-Hamas war.

"Every single drop of blood is on Hamas' hands," Cunin said.

In Dunn Meadow, many described the Israel Defense Force's actions in Gaza as genocide, one in which IU is complicit. "My tuition should not build bombs," one sign read in bold black and red letters.

As the sun began to set, protestors outside Chabad House went inside for Shabbat service. Those in Dunn Meadow passed around a megaphone, reciting poems and encouraging protestors to stay through the night. A few minutes later, a line formed for dinner: pizza, salad and various food including Palestinian dishes in aluminum trays.

As people flopped down with loaded plates, some began to share stories and laugh. A man digging through a drink cooler exclaimed, "Someone donated La Croix? There is a god!"

A protestor named Sidd said the pro-Palestine and pro-ceasefire crowd intended to remain in the meadow until the Divestment Coalition's demands were met.

Behind the protestors, men in jeans and T-shirts crossed the meadow, toward Kirkwood Avenue. A few hundred feet south, women in white dresses and red stoles popped champagne and posed for photos in front of IU's Sample Gates. For many students, life — graduation, bar crawls, ice cream at Hartzell's on Dunn Street — goes on.

"I am asking you, stand your ground," a man in Dunn Meadow said. "We stand our ground for each other, for solidarity and for Gaza."

Contact IndyStar reporter Bradley Hohulin at bhohulin@indystar.com. You can follow him on Twitter/X @BradleyHohulin.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pro-Palestine, Pro-Israel protests continue at IU following arrests