Georgia students held sit-in to demand regents divest from Israel
Students from multiple colleges in Georgia organized a protest to demand that the University System of Georgia Board of Regents divest from companies with connections to Israel.
The group hosted a silent sit-in protest at the Regents’ monthly meeting, which was held on Jan. 14.
Students from multiple colleges in Georgia organized a protest to demand that the University System of Georgia Board of Regents divest from companies with connections to Israel.
The group hosted a silent sit-in protest at the Regents’ monthly meeting, which was held on Jan. 14.
Students from the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Georgia, Emory University, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, and others were in attendance, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
Activists held signs with pro-Palestine slogans, including “Students Demand Divestment,” according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“I think you all will recognize we got several other new guests around us today,” system Chancellor Sonny Perdue reportedly said at the beginning of the meeting. “We want to thank our students of our university system for being here in a very respectful kind of way and expressing their First Amendment rights.”
The Georgia chapter of the anti-Israel Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) released a statement advertising the protest on its Instagram account on Jan. 9.
“Join us in demanding that the University System of Georgia (USG) divest millions of dollars from partnerships and investments with companies complicit in Israel’s genocide,” the group posted.
“In December, numerous student organizations statewide, including GA SJP, sent a letter to USG requesting the opportunity to address the Board of Regents at their upcoming meeting,” the statement continued. “Our goal was to raise awareness about the ongoing genocide in Gaza and urge the University System of Georgia to divest from Zionist organizations and programs implicated in the deaths of over 100,000 Palestinians.”
In its statement, the group also urged the Georgia Board of Regents to divest from companies that have financial connections to the Jewish state.
“We are demanding that USG listen to the voices of Georgia students and take immediate action to divest from organizations supporting the violence responsible for the death, displacement, and Genocide of our friends, family, and comrades,” the statement concluded.
Pro-Palestine students at the University of Georgia have long been vocal in their criticisms of Israel. In August, the school administration suspended six pro-Palestine demonstrators for the duration of the fall 2024 semester due to “clear” violations of school policies.
In reaction to the suspension, the school’s SJP group rebuked the university administration for allegedly violating free speech rights of anti-Israel activists.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.