Protest at NIU in DeKalb calls for cease-fire in Israel-Hamas War

DeKALB – A group of protesters led primarily by two Northern Illinois University student activists called for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas War Monday, slowing traffic as they marched along Lucinda Avenue in DeKalb.

NIU student Bayan Abuihmoud was lugging around a megaphone leading protesters in a chant as they marched. Abuihmoud said that demonstrating in support of this cause hits close to home for her.

“I have family in the West Bank of Palestine,” Abuihmoud said. “To them, this is not normal whatsoever, but it’s not something that they haven’t been through. So, while it’s not directly affecting them, they hear sometimes the ruckus. They can feel it in the air if that makes sense – the community, the loss. They’re also very scared of speaking out. They’re not allowed to speak out. We’re not even allowed to fly our own flag back home.”

The demonstration, which organizers said is planned weekly, stepped off from MLK Commons Monday afternoon, joining the student protests growing across the nation.

NIU student Sarah Salem said she and other protesters wanted to see an end to the Israel-Hamas war.

“We want to raise awareness,” Salem said. “We want to be part of the student intifada that’s been spreading across the entire nation and we also wanted to demand that NIU disclose all of its investments and divest if need be. They have an investment portfolio that I’ve looked into. I haven’t been able to find anything specific in weapon manufacturers, but I’m sure there’s something and that’s why we want NIU to disclose any of that.”

Intifada is an Arabic word for uprising or rebellion, according to dictionary site Merriam-Webster.com, and refers specifically to an armed uprising of Palestinians against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

NIU representatives did not respond to a request for comment on the demonstration.

Protests are roiling college campuses nationwide as schools with graduation ceremonies next month face demands they cut financial ties to Israel because of the Israel-Hamas war, The Associated Press reported.

Many campuses were largely quiet over the weekend, but protesters on both sides of the issue shouted and shoved each other during dueling demonstrations Sunday at the University of California, Los Angeles. About 275 people were arrested on Saturday at various campuses, including Indiana University at Bloomington, Arizona State University and Washington University in St. Louis. The number of arrests nationwide approached 900 since New York police removed a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at Columbia University and arrested more than 100 demonstrators on April 18.

The nationwide campus protests began in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, when militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel launched an offensive that has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.

Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while critics of Israel say such allegations are used to silence opponents.

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A group of about twenty demonstrators held signs and chanted in the MLK Commons at Northern Illinois University Monday, April 29, 2024, to protest the Israel-Hamas War. (Mark Busch)

As protesters took to the streets, they hoisted signs and Palestinian flags in the air while chanting in unison. Passersby expressed their support for the cause by honking their vehicles as protesters made their way around campus.

NIU student Van Tran said she was pleased that about two dozen people showed up to Monday’s protest.

Monday was not Tran’s first time marching in a student-led demonstration.

“This is pretty good. Last time we only had a few people,” Tran said. “It started growing as we kept on talking. … Students can hear us here. [They’re] listening to what we’re saying.”

Tran said she’s not fearful of losing employment or housing because she participates in the demonstrations.

The plight of students has become a central part of protests, with both the students and a growing number of faculty demanding amnesty for protesters. At issue is whether the suspensions and legal records will follow students through their adult lives, the AP reported.

“Even if I did, I’d find a way to figure everything out,” Tran said. “I have lots of friends that are willing to take me in.”

Salem said supporting this cause means a great deal to her.

“Supporting the Palestinian cause means supporting my legacy, my family, who I am,” Salem said. “It’s supporting humanity.”

Abuihmoud said she feels supported by the university in taking to the streets to protest, but she knows there’s more that could be done.

“As of right now, I do feel some support,” she said. “I wish that they’d put out a statement in support of us and in support of what we’re standing for, but we understand there are steps to be taken and we will have to keep the pressure on for them, especially now that we’re getting toward the end of the semester.”