Editor’s Note: At the request of organizers who cited security concerns, faces have been blurred.

Held as part of the national Students for Justice in Palestine organization’s “Week of Rage,” around 25 marched from the Admissions Center to the Couper Administration Building on Tuesday to rally against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and the University’s ties to the defense industry.

Some held flags while others led the crowd in chants like, “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes” and “Free, free Palestine.” University police remained on the perimeter throughout.

“It is SJP’s goal forever and always to expose injustice, demand an end to illegal occupations, and crush fascism where it festers,” SJP wrote in a statement to Pipe Dream. “These goals have not changed, even if our tactics must.”

“There can be no business as usual while a genocide is being orchestrated in Palestine at the hands of the Israeli regime, funded by U.S. tax dollars — and by Binghamton University,” they continued. “BU’s ties to weapons manufacturers like Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems and unconditional support of Israel fuel the genocidal war machine. We protested outside admin to demand divestment from this.”

The New York Times reported on Sunday that Hamas and the Israeli government had signaled progress toward a new cease-fire agreement following a breakdown in March that saw the Israeli military campaign restart.

The rally began with an overview of protest safety, including instructions to avoid engaging with counterprotesters and what do to in an emergency.

Samuél, the president of the Yiddish Bund of Binghamton who only gave his first name, began his speech by talking about hypocrisy, accusing University administration of making millions of dollars by participating in programs that push engineering students into jobs at defense companies. He cited SUNY’s divestment from apartheid South Africa, saying that activists now can “force their hand just like we did there.”

“We’re here using the word apartheid for our protest this week,” he said. “But we need to keep in mind that apartheid is just a feature. Apartheid is just one of the many ways the Israeli occupation of Palestine upholds its settler-colonial projects.”

At the end of his speech, he read a quote from Kwame Ture, formerly known as Stokely Carmichael, a Black Power activist: “If we’re not careful, we allow mobilization to become an event. The struggle is never just an event. The struggle is the continual, eternal process.”

“The University will continue to provide a safe and supportive campus environment to every one of our community members amid these challenging times,” a University spokesperson wrote to Pipe Dream. “While the University encourages members of our community to speak freely, we will not tolerate racism, hatred or bigotry — nor will we tolerate attacks of any kind on individuals or groups, nor incitement to violence.”

Another speaker who shared just a first name, Rend, shared their experience attending the first national SJP conference, which they said was at Columbia University. Also mentioning the widespread divestment campaign against South Africa, they emphasized the power of numbers.

“You have institutional power,” they said. “You are paying to go here. You have the power to do something, right? And they hate that. They hate that you in this institution get to have a say in what happens with the money that’s here. That’s what they’re actually mad about, is that you have the opportunity to create real, material change.”

After the speeches, demonstrators led chants like “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.” They then began to march across campus, continuing to chant and crossing the Peace Quad before stopping in front of the administration building.

Several counterprotesters approached shortly after the crowd arrived at the administration building, with one carrying an Israeli flag and wearing a “Bring Them Home Now” shirt, which advocates for the return of the hostages taken on Oct. 7. As the crowd continued chanting, they shouted “Am Yisrael Chai,” or “the people of Israel live” in Hebrew.

The protest dispersed shortly after, with one speaker citing concerns of increased police presence and a nearby drone.

The national SJP organization’s “Week of Rage” has pointed to crackdowns by the federal government on student protesters. Throughout the week, SJP’s events have included a collaboration with SHADES, a student organization for queer people of color; discussing the “taboo nature of political conversation” on Wednesday; and a celebration of Eid with the Muslim Student Association on Thursday.

“NSJP’s Week of Rage was an excellent opportunity for us to make ourselves visible on this campus and show the student body that the fight for Palestinian liberation has not wavered amidst recent events,” SJP wrote, using an acronym for the national SJP organization. “We hope to have inspired our peers, even if they were just passing by on their way to class, to join the cause and take comfort in knowing they will not be alone in their activism.”