“End the killing, stop the crimes. Israel out of Palestine," demonstrators chanted.
Demonstrators marched around Utah State University's quad Wednesday and Thursday, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
One of the organizers, Cristina Chirvasa, said they chose to hold the protest May 1 through 3 because students in Gaza don’t get a graduation.
“Our goal in doing it around graduation is to get people really thinking about their own privilege and being able to walk and being able to be here in safety," Chirvasa said. "Whereas students in Gaza right now have had their schools destroyed.”
"End the siege, end the pain," demonstrators chanted.
Demonstrators Lee Bocage, Miyuki Jones, and Kris Pfeiffer talked about being at the rally and supporting Palestine.
“As I’ve been more with the protest and with the bigger community, it’s made me realize more of what’s happening," Bocage said.
“Some people say like, ‘Oh, go to Palestine, they'd kill you for being gay.’ That doesn't really matter because regardless of whether or not they're homophobic, that doesn't mean you should be dropping bombs killing children every day," Jones said.
“As a Native myself I really do relate with what’s going on with occupation and I’m like, you guys, it’s a genocide. They like to tip-toe around that word. Use that word, words have power," Pfeiffer said.
"And if we're not alone, we can fight for something," Stewart-Johnson said.
Guests speaker Sebastian Stewart-Johnson came to the rally, as well. He’s a member of The Black Menaces — a group focused on empowering marginalized communities through social media, with over 700,000 followers on their TikTok account.
“Basically, every big movement in the last, like 100 years, has been sparked by college students. There's no difference today. The civil rights movement wouldn't have had the reach that it had without college students fighting on their campuses," Stewart-Johnson said.
Graduating with a Master’s degree, Hannah Johnson lined up with other grads to take her picture on The Block A in front of Old Main — a short distance from the rally.
“I've noticed, kind of just going past every once in a while. I feel like they've done a really good job. I've heard about other colleges, where the ‘peaceful protest’ has not gone as well and things have gotten crazy. But I feel like it's been really nice to see that contrast," Johnson said.
“We did notice some people in full graduation garb come and join us. It’s exciting. I don't know if they were aware of the issue beforehand, or if they just saw a gathering and were wondering about it, but yeah, a lot of people walking by listen for at least a bit and that's our goal here," Chirvasa said.
