This is an open letter to show support for UNH student protesters, and condemn the extreme, violent response by police and UNH administration to a non-violent rally for an end to the genocide in Gaza.
Add your name as a UNH student, alumni, donor, NH resident, or community supporter!
What happened Last night (Wednesday 5/1), a group of UNH students hosted a peaceful rally calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and for UNH to divest its endowment from supporting the war, as a part of this recent wave of college campus activism across the country. Attended by ~100 students and community supporters, the event was peaceful, with teach-ins and speakers, and ended with a group of students attempting to hold a sustained sit-in presence on Thompson Hall Lawn to draw attention to the issue.
Within just hours of the event's start UNH, Durham, and state police responded violently. Scores of police with riot gear and military equipment violently broke up the group—tackling people, shooting pepper balls, and using significant force on the non-violently assembled crowd. Police arrested 12 people—10 students and 2 community supporters. UNH administration stood by and watched the event unfold, conferring with police.
This unfolded while 90+ students were also violently arrested at Dartmouth College, and similar demonstrations happened in colleges and communities across the state and country.
Why it matters
This is the most extreme, violent response we've ever seen by NH police and UNH administration to non-violent student activism. College students in America have long exercised their right to free speech and protest on college campuses in order to show up against injustice. From the anti-Vietnam War movement to the anti-South African apartheid movement, college students have always been a strong voice for justice calling on their universities and our government to act in line with the values we're told they believe in. UNH historically prides itself on its protection of free speech—this is antithetical to that value.
There is a lot of misinformation out there about what is happening on college campuses—this grassroots movement is united in their goal to disarm an ongoing war, end human suffering, and stop an apartheid system that has created so much misery for Palestinians. Ending the occupation and genocide in Palestine is a moral cry of our generation for peace and justice. It is unconscionable for it to be met with such a violent, disproportionate response.
What we say about it
- We stand with these students exercising their rights and calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza and divestment of UNH's endowment supporting the violence.
- We condemn the extreme, violent, and disproportionate response by police to this non-violent demonstration. To respond with riot gear, physical force, and arrest is reprehensible and entirely uncalled for.
- We call on UNH administration to condemn the police response. We demand that no students be suspended, expelled, or punished by UNH for exercising their rights in this event. Further, we demand that all charges be dropped for those arrested.
This form is organized by NH Youth Movement, with input from student leaders. By providing your phone number, you consent to receiving occasional texts from NHYM and partners about this issue and others.
