Hundreds of University of Michigan students walked out of class on Thursday, Feb. 8, to demand the university divest from Israel. This action happened alongside colleges and universities across the country for a national day of action against Israel’s genocidal war on the Palestinian people.

The action highlighted the millions of university dollars (i.e. students’ tuition money) being invested in Israeli companies. 400 people participated in the walkout, including students involved in the more than 70 student organizations working in coalition, as well as non-affiliated students who recognize their university’s responsibility to answer student demand. Other members of the public in Ann Arbor — a city controlled in large part by the University of Michigan — also participated.

Speakers at the event emphasized the role of student organization in the university’s history to divest from apartheid South Africa, exposing the hypocrisy of the administration’s current resistance to the divestment demand on grounds that “the university does not make political stances.”

Members of the Communist Party USA, Michigan District were also present at the action. “We reiterate our demand for an immediate ceasefire, an end to the siege on Gaza, an end to the settlements and occupation of Palestine, and a right of return for refugees in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions,” the Michigan party stated on its Instagram account.

The coalition will continue to pressure the University of Michigan to uphold the same principles they had for South Africa, to recognize the importance of the University as a force for political influence, and, most importantly, to answer to the clear and majority demands of the student body which they supposedly represent.

Images: CPUSA Michigan

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