Quick summary:
• Nearly 50 protesters disrupted a UW Board of Regents meeting, demanding divestment from Israel and transparency in university investments.
• Police arrested 19 protesters, with reports of excessive force and injuries.
• Activists allege university investments support companies linked to Israel’s military actions and apartheid policies.
• Spring 2024 encampment protests led to 34 arrests and continued tensions with university administrators.
• Students report police intimidation, including late-night arrests and threats of academic sanctions.
• The Board of Regents and campus police are accused of prioritizing secrecy and repression over dialogue.
• Protesters vow to persist in their fight against policies they see as complicit in human rights violations.
Tensions escalated on December 5, 2024, as nearly 50 protesters disrupted a University of Wisconsin Board of Regents meeting, demanding transparency and divestment from Israel. Holding banners and chanting slogans like “Free, free Palestine!” and “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest,” the protesters refused to allow business to continue. The demonstration culminated in 19 arrests, marking a stark clash between student activists, university authorities, and police.
The protesters, organized by groups including CODEPINK, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), targeted the Board’s alleged investment in companies linked to Israel. Activists claimed these investments indirectly support what the UN has identified as tactics “consistent with genocide” during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The protests are rooted in larger political and humanitarian crises. Following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks that killed approximately 1,200 Israeli civilians and took hundreds hostage, Israel launched retaliatory strikes on Gaza, resulting in over 44,000 Palestinian deaths, according to reports. Activists argue that the university system is complicit through investments in companies like Lockheed Martin and Mizrahi Tefahot Bank, which they allege bolster Israel’s military and apartheid systems.
Students demand that the University of Wisconsin system divest from these companies and publicly disclose the full scope of its investments. They also call on the Board of Regents to uphold its own guidelines prohibiting financial ties with entities engaged in discrimination.
The demonstration began with an outdoor rally despite freezing temperatures. Kayla Patterson, a member of SDS and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, addressed the crowd, saying, “The simple truth is that the Board of Regents stands on the wrong side of history. 13 percent of the over $1 billion in ‘UW managed funds’ is hidden from the public, hidden from the students that make up these campuses.”
Shortly after the Board commenced its “Business and Finance” portion, protesters entered the room, occupying the space with signs and chants. Gabo Samoff of Madison YDSA confronted the Board, condemning its lack of transparency and divestment failures. The meeting facilitator, Regent Ashok Rai, responded by shutting off the recording to prevent Samoff’s statement from being on file.
Campus police intervened, forcibly removing protesters from the room. Witnesses reported excessive force, with some protesters dragged out by their necks. Police detained 19 demonstrators, including students from both Madison and Milwaukee campuses. Protesters remained defiant, chanting “Palestine is our fight! Students of the world unite!” during processing.
This clash follows a series of protests earlier this year, including spring encampments at UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee. Students pitched tents on campus grounds to demand divestment and greater accountability. Law enforcement dismantled these encampments in May, leading to 34 arrests at UW-Madison and reports of injuries among both protesters and police.
Despite reaching agreements to end the encampments, tensions persisted. Activists accuse the Board of deflecting responsibility for these conflicts onto individual campuses. CODEPINK criticized the Board’s reliance on law enforcement, stating, “Instead of engaging in a one-minute statement from peaceful protesters, they chose to shut off the recording and summon a heavy police presence.”
Protesters also allege ongoing intimidation by campus police. UW-Milwaukee student Robby Knapp recounted being arrested at his home late at night under vague allegations of vandalism. “Since then, I’ve been behind,” Knapp said. “My education and ability to graduate are now up in the air.”
Other activists, including Kayla Patterson and Audari Tamayo, reported police visits to their homes and threats of academic sanctions. The university, however, denies targeting students for their protest activities. “No student is subject to the misconduct process based on considerations other than their own behavior,” said Angelica Duria, a UW-Milwaukee spokesperson.
Despite these assurances, activists believe the administration is deliberately cracking down on dissent. Patterson called negotiations with the administration “a façade,” adding, “It’s very heavy monitoring. They’re going both at the organizational level and the individual level in order to crack down.”
The protests at UW reflect a larger national trend of rising tensions between student activism and institutional authority. Critics argue that universities are increasingly prioritizing corporate and state interests over free speech and accountability. The use of police force against peaceful demonstrations, they contend, undermines the educational mission of public institutions.
Protesters also highlight the stark contrast between administrative responses to different global crises. While Ukrainian refugees received coordinated federal support during the 2022 Russian invasion, activists argue that Palestinians facing alleged genocide are met with silence or repression.
“Despite mounting political repression, we came to show the Board of Regents that no matter where in Wisconsin they hold their meetings, business as usual will not continue while they maintain their policy of ‘neutrality’ toward genocide,” said Cedar Lehman, a Milwaukee student organizer. “We refuse to be intimidated by the administration’s crooked cops that treat protest as justification for abusing and injuring their own students and community members.”
To learn more about the SJP and their upcoming actions, click here.
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