UW-Milwaukee war in Gaza protests continue; Evers gives warning

MILWAUKEE - Students nationwide are protesting over the war in Gaza.

Here at home, day two of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s encampment is getting pressure from above.

Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday, April 30, said he hopes protesters will get tired and go home on their own. If not, he has a warning.

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"We’re concerned about the encampments because of what we’ve seen across the country," he said. "At some point in time, the encampments have to end, so whether that’s done voluntarily or not, but yes, it’s an issue. And we will eventually take action, if we have to. But, we believe everybody is in good faith there."

The governor said he’s getting updates almost hourly, and talking to the university and protesters.

"Even throughout the night, I had some calls at 2 a.m. So, we’re adequately connecting with leadership from both sides, and we’ll continue to do so," he said.

School administrators warned the encampment is "unlawful" and breaks Wisconsin state regulations.

But, the protesters say they won't leave until all their demands are met.

"We’re here peacefully. If anything, people see this more as a festival," said Jamilah, a junior and member of Students for Justice in Palestine. "I mean we have music playing, we have people gathering, we’re having teach-ins. This is a university and we’re educating people. We’re here to stay, and we’re going to do it in a non-violent, peaceful way."

They were sharing food and praying.

There were about 35 tents on a university lawn on Tuesday afternoon.

In the crowd of protesters, there were some Jewish people as well.

"This is peace and love, like I walked up, I feel completely safe and supported and welcomed," said student Julie Roubik, a member of Jewish Voices for Peace. "I think the narrative of criticism of Israel is antisemitic is a false equivalent. I think you can criticize a government without criticizing its people [...] We’re just here because humanity is suffering."

Others were not so sure.

"This is a very dangerous situation. People want to look: oh, this is fun, they’re camping up, the kids "popped" up tents. No. no, it’s not," said Racine resident Bill Lichter. "Why do they have shields? If you look over here, why do they have sticks and shields and helmets and goggles. Why are they prepared for this type of violence?"

He said the students should clear out.

"There’s no excuse, because they’re complicit now with everything that happens because of this," he said.

In October 2023, Hamas surprised Israel with an attack. Israel reported around 1,200 people died.

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Israel has been fighting back, and the Gaza Health Ministry has reported that 34,000 Palestinians have died.

"We mourn the loss of life on both sides. Again, we’re all about humanity," Jamilah said. "We’re taking this on a humanitarian aspect and it goes towards both sides. No human should die."

And for that, they said they will not be leaving on their own.

UWM’s Office of the Chancellor late Monday night, April 29, responded to the protesters’ demands.

In an email to the campus, they said they "share in the heartbreak" and "reiterate our call for an end to the violence by joining the White House and international leaders in calling for a release of the hostages and a ceasefire. We say this knowing that, as a public university, we have no direct ability to impact the outcomes of the war in Gaza."

The protesters also wanted the university to reveal if it, or the UWM Foundation, had any investments in weapons manufacturers.

The statement said UWM has none, and that the foundation is legally separate, but its investments are mutual funds. It was also noted they have no relationship with institutions in Israel and no study abroad, but that stopping faculty from engaging would infringe on academic freedom.