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Anti-Israel agitators and a pro-Israel crowd found unlikely unity during a demonstration at the University of Alabama.
On college and university campuses across the country, heated protests have resulted in violent beatings, pepper spray and campus takeovers – but in Alabama, two opposing groups remained peaceful and rallied together against President Biden.
“F— Joe Biden,” both groups apparently chanted in unison, according to video from the scene.
Their unlikely common ground was captured on video. It shows members of both groups flying their respective Israeli and Palestinian flags, waving pro-America and pro-Palestinian signs – and all echoing the embarrassing line about Biden at the university’s Student Center Plaza.
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Anti-Israel agitators and a pro-Israel crowd peacefully protested at the University of Alabama on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Maven Navarro, the editor-in-chief of student publication The Crimson White, also shared the video.
According to The Crimson White, hundreds of students at the University of Alabama gathered together on campus Wednesday to protest the school’s reported financial connection to the Department of Defense and defense contractor Lockheed Martin.
“Hey hey, ho ho, Lockheed Martin’s got to go,” the protesters shouted, per the publication.
UA Leftist Collective, a protest group, and other organizers formed the “Protest for Palestinian Lives” to call for the school to divest from Israel and to stop supporting companies that aid Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The embarrassing chant for President Biden has been echoed at various sporting events and political rallies. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“As students of the University of Alabama, we can no longer stand by in silent complicity as our institution funds a state-sponsored massacre of Palestinians,” organizers said in a news release, WVTM reported.
According to the report, the university was aware of the protests and their “opposing viewpoints.”
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Micah Green/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Protests were held on campus today by groups with opposing viewpoints. The University appreciates that attendees peacefully exercised their free speech rights with no disruptions, violence, vandalism or arrests,” the university said in a statement, per WVTM. “University staff and UAPD were on-site and shared expectations for a responsible, peaceful event along with clear guidance consistent with the law and University policy.”
“All protests must comply with applicable University policies to ensure safety and security on campus and to maintain orderly operations. The University maintains the authority to promptly address any violations. Enhanced security and other resources have been made available to students and groups who have expressed concern, and those resources remain available,” it continued.
“Protests were held on campus today by groups with opposing viewpoints,” the University of Alabama said Wednesday. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
No one was arrested on Wednesday, according to The Crimson White. The peaceful gathering comes amid unrest at Columbia University, UCLA and others.
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa. It has approximately 39,623 students enrolled, as it set an enrollment record in fall 2023.
