Protesters gather on Franklin Street for Pro-Palestinian rally, march

Sean Coffey Image
Monday, May 6, 2024
Protesters gather for Pro-Palestinian rally, march
The rally comes amid ongoing protests at colleges and universities nationwide.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- Despite wet conditions on Sunday protesters gathered in Chapel Hill for a rally and march in Chapel Hill.

The Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered on Franklin Street at the old post office before marching through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus and holding a rally on the steps of the south building, home to the school's administration.

It comes after a tumultuous week on campus led to arrests and barricades on the man quad.

Protesters called for the university to divest with any company that has ties to Israel and grant amnesty to the students who were arrested in the encampment last week.

Protesters are also urging professors, TAs, and staff to refrain from posting final grades for the semester until the university provides amnesty to those students.

Police detained 36 protesters during a demonstration on Tuesday after the university said protesters who had been there for days began to violate university policy.

Three of the six people arrested were UNC students.

One professor who spoke at Sunday's rally said he will not be posting grades until amnesty is given, and said a letter calling for similar action has circulated through university staff and has several hundred signatures.

"The University of North Carolina is essentially acting like they hold all the power, but we know that's not true. it's the students who have the power, it's the faculty that have the power, it's the people that keep this institution running day by day, and to have the support of faculty here today is incredibly meaningful because unless we're all working together none of this is going to work," said protester Noor Hawa.

ABC11 reached out to the university on Thursday to confirm that the three of six people arrested were students but the school has declined to answer questions about what disciplinary action they were facing, citing federal privacy law.

ALSO SEE: A look at commencement ceremonies as US campuses are roiled by protests over the Israel-Hamas war