Photo Courtesy of Bill McGrath
St. Olaf students took to Macalester College’s campus on Feb. 26 to call upon the St. Paul City Council to declare a ceasefire resolution. Organized by the Mac for Palestine Coalition, members of Macalester Students for Justice in Palestine, St. Olaf Students for Justice in Palestine, Carleton Students for Justice in Palestine, the Anti-War Committee, and Women Against Military Madness attended the rally.
“Student activism throughout history has been instrumental in achieving meaningful change for a wide variety of social movements and goals. The value of vocal students and their activism cannot be understated,” an anonymous member of Mac for Palestine said in an email interview with The Olaf Messenger.
The rally began on Macalester’s campus, then moved as an organized march to a nearby street corner around 4:30 p.m.. The amount of traffic increased as rush hour drew closer, giving students a huge audience for their cries of “Free Palestine!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” The students in attendance agreed that the event had been a fulfilling success, and the organizers were pleased with the turnout.
The anonymous member of Mac for Palestine expressed their hope that this event would send a clear message that students would stand for Palestine.
“We hope that actions like the one on Monday send a clear and direct message that we will not let this go, and that we will keep pushing until we have a ceasefire resolution in the city of St. Paul,” the anonymous member of Mac for Palestine said.
According to a report by MPR News, the protest and determination of students paid off as St. Paul’s city council voted unanimously for a ceasefire resolution at their March 6 meeting.
Protests moved into St. Olaf’s home city even before St. Paul’s resolution was passed, with the organization of a protest via Northfielders for Justice in Palestine on March 2. Gelila Lemma ’27 attended with a group of Oles, and noted a huge sense of community in the protest.
“It felt very welcoming and united […] Everyone was this big unit,” Lemma said in an email interview with The Olaf Messenger.
She felt that activism still mattered due to the need to keep awareness going surrounding Israel’s attacks. “The genocide is not something that has died down, although its publicity has seemed to,” Lemma said in an email to the Olaf Messenger. “A ceasefire is the absolute bare minimum, and we should be continuously trying to make an effort to make our voices heard in the matter.”
When asked where students are planning to move from here, Oles responded by continuing their efforts towards a Northfield ceasefire and preparing plans for future action.
“Seeing other students [at the protest] was also reassuring. Overall, I think we are all very defiant about the genocide,” Lemma said.
St. Olaf Students for Justice in Palestine noted that future events are in the works, and that student activism will continue.
“If there was only one thing people took away from [the protest] I would hope it would be the inspiration and understanding that they, too, can be a part of change,” the anonymous member of Mac for Palestine said.
