Demonstrations are occurring around Michigan and around the country after Hamas attacked Israel and Israel launched retaliatory strikes in Gaza. One demonstration formed at the state capitol Thursday night, led by the Michigan State University student group Students United for Palestinian Rights
WKAR’s Wali Khan said over 100 protesters gathered near the capitol steps for a protest that started at 5:00pm Thursday. Student leaders spoke as well as an Associate Professor of Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy from MSU.
The students said they wanted their voices to be heard. Many held signs. One said “Resistance is Not Terrorism”, another, “The Olive Branch has Fallen”. The latter is a reference to then-PLO leader Yasser Arafat's 1974 address to the UN General Assembly in which he said “I come to you bearing an olive branch in one hand and a freedom fighter’s gun in the other. Do not let me drop the olive branch from my hand.”
Many students brought up the power imbalance between Palestinians and Israelis, and how only Israel has a standing army. Among other topics, was the short life expectancy for Gazans. Gaza's population is young with 65 percent being under the age of 24 … the median age for men and women is 18 years.
There was a vigil of a hundred people in support of Israel on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, MSU College Republicans held a discussion about what they termed “Terror in Israel.”
Thursday's protest was scheduled to run until 7pm