KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The University of Kansas Students for Justice in Palestine chapter will be starting a multi-day encampment in front of Fraser Hall to protest the ongoing Hamas-Israel war in Gaza.
The group sent a letter to the administration of the University of Kansas saying they have four demands that must be met.
First — financial divestment.
The group claims the university profits from and financially supports the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine and the genocide of its people.
"We demand the immediate cessation of all programs established for cross-training, sister school programs, student/graduate recruitment, and other cultural programs tying the University of Kansas to the Zionist establishment and its interests," per the letter.
Additionally, the letter demanded the university sever financial ties with all Israeli government and military interests and holdings.
Second — financial transparency.
The student group said the university hides these investments through a lack of financial transparency, which allows university administration to evade accountability for their actions.
— JuYeon Kim (@JuYeonKimTV) May 1, 2024
Third — demilitarization.
The students wrote the university contributes to the militarization of both the KU campus and Lawrence broadly.
"Additionally, we demand the cessation of trainings, internships and recruitments established between the university and organizations and companies which train or perform internships with the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Armed Forces, and/or United States Police Force or Sheriff's Department from any municipality, in addition to the immediate, significant restriction of the ability of City of Lawrence Police Department officers and representatives to operate on campus," the letter demanded.
Fourth — amnesty.
The group said while the university will likely criminalize and repress those protesting, the students "demand the university allow us to exercise our First Amendment rights and guarantee amnesty for penalties it will place on protesters for exercising those rights."
Finally, the group said students are engaging with the administration in good faith to achieve their demands and will not stop until said demands are met.
Editors note: The headline has been updated from a previous version of the story that listed the term genocide without quotation marks.
