
Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon
The Maroon estimated that there were roughly a thousand people on the main quad during the midday protests.
UChicago United for Palestine (UCUP) launched an encampment on the quad outside of Swift Hall at 10 a.m. on Monday, following in the steps of pro-Palestinian groups at numerous other universities that have set up encampments in recent weeks.
This article is being updated as the situation develops.
Coverage from days one, two, three, and four of the encampment can be read on the Chicago Maroon.
Follow along with live updates from day six of the encampment here.
Day 5 Summary
Friday saw the biggest crowd drawn to the quad since UCUP’s encampment started on Monday morning. The day began with the aftermath of Thursday’s events: Facilities scrubbed graffiti from Levi Hall, and security removed the Palestinian flag that encampment protesters had raised on the quad’s main flagpole.
At around 9 a.m., University President Paul Alivisatos sent an email titled “Effects of the Encampment” to the University community, where he followed up on his original email sent on the first day of the encampment.
“On Monday, I stated that we would only intervene if what might have been an exercise of free expression blocks the learning or expression of others or substantially disrupts the functioning or safety of the University,” Alivisatos wrote. “Without an agreement to end the encampment, we have reached that point.”
At 12:30 p.m., Maroons for Israel held a picnic on the east side of the quad. Participants threw frisbees and ate falafel while listening to America-themed songs on a loudspeaker. Meanwhile, UCUP held a rally around the encampment that drew a crowd of at least 200.
Soon after, a group of individuals associated with University fraternities marched toward the encampment. The marchers waved American flags as they began approaching demonstrators with the encampment. The two groups faced off in the center of the quad; as tensions rose, UCPD officers in riot gear formed a line between the groups to separate them. The counterprotesters dispersed over the next two hours, with Allied Security and UCPD officers continuing to monitor the quad.
At around 6 p.m., UCPD arrested an individual on the quad. After this, tensions appeared to diminish on the quad. Encampment protesters held a Kabbalat Shabbat service. The Chabad rabbi led a separate Shabbat service on the east side of the quad.
Following rumors of a second counterprotest, the UCUP encampment held another rally at 9 p.m. and circled the encampment with plastic orange fencing and caution tape. While a few individuals seen at the earlier counterprotest returned briefly, there was no second counterprotest.
May 3, 11:45 p.m.
A woman wearing an Israeli flag approached the southern edge of the encampment and began playing a Shofar. A member of the encampment opened an umbrella as she approached and alleged she was playing with his earrings. According to the encampment member, the woman said she was going to put her fist in his face. UCPD separated the woman from protesters from the encampment before escorting her away.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 11:15 p.m.
A pair of individuals carrying a large Israeli flag briefly walked around the quad in front of the encampment before leaving.
Two flags belonging to Maroons for Israel were grabbed by protesters. UCPD officers were able to recover the flags and returned them to members of Maroons for Israel.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 10:22 p.m.
An unidentified individual removed a sign from the encampment and ran towards Regenstein library. The sign said “Stop the U.S. War Machine.” An anonymous user on the app Sidechat posted a picture of the sign with the caption “This is SUCH a beautiful sign… Why’d you let me take it?????”
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 9:51 p.m.
In a statement to the Maroon, UCUP organizers addressed the fencing they were placing around the encampment.
“The encampment has made the decision to build fencing around the perimeter of the camp in order to ensure protestors’ safety from Zionist aggressors such as those who marched on our camp this afternoon,” UCUP wrote. “We reiterate that the encampment will remain in place until our demands to DISCLOSE, DIVEST, and REPAIR are met by University administration and are taking appropriate steps to protect our community while we continue this act of protest. We stand, as always, against genocide and in solidarity with Gaza.”
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 9:43 p.m.
In addition to the orange mesh barriers, UCUP organizers are setting up black mesh, yellow caution tape, and wooden crates on the southeastern side of the encampment. The black mesh barriers are connected to a large tree in front of Swift Hall and extend along one of the pathways toward the center of the encampment.
Encampment organizers previously set up barriers on Wednesday night. On Thursday morning, UCPD said the barriers posed a “safety hazard” and would be removed by Facilities Services, after which encampment organizers removed the barriers themselves.
A large pile of sign shields has been placed in front of the Popular University sign facing the center of the quad.
The protesters are now chanting “Filastin arabiyah,” meaning “Palestine is Arab.”
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 9:31 p.m.
UCUP organizers are setting up orange mesh barriers surrounding the side of the encampment facing Levi Hall.
In a Telegram announcement, UCUP warned of possible counterprotests at 9 p.m., but no counterprotests have materialized so far. The Maroon estimates that the crowd of protesters chanting has grown to roughly 200 people.
Participants are chanting “Which side are you on?”
There are now five Allied Security officers, one from CPD, and two from UCPD on the quad.
— Maroon Staff

May 3, 9:12 p.m.
A rally has begun at the encampment. Roughly 75 protesters are chanting “I believe that we will win,” playing drums and clapping.
The U.S. anthem has begun playing from the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity house.
Three Allied Security officers are monitoring the center of the quad.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 8:30 p.m.
Senator Bernie Sanders A.B. ’64 (I-Vt.) posted on X in support of nationwide pro-Palestine protests.
“In 1962, we organized sit-ins to end racist policies at the University of Chicago. In ’63, I was arrested protesting segregated schools. But we were right,” he wrote. “I’m proud to see students protesting the war in Gaza. Stay peaceful and focused. You’re on the right side of history.”
– Zachary Leiter, Deputy Managing Editor; Sabrina Chang, Deputy News Editor
May 3, 8:12 p.m.
During the demonstrations this afternoon, the Maroon spoke with Faculty for Justice in Palestine at UChicago member Callie Maidhof, the associate director of the Global Studies Program.
When asked to comment on the counterprotest, Maidhof said, “They’ve been waving American flags in a display of jingoism I’ve never seen on a university campus. I was honestly shocked. From what I understand their biggest concern is that yesterday, the Palestinian flag was raised on the platform, and their concern is that the American flag has not been re-raised in the time since.”
“That kind of asymmetry where, on the one hand, people protesting the murder of around 40,000 people, and on the other hand, people protesting that there’s no longer an American flag on our flagpole, is wild to me,” she said.
Maidhof believes that the encampment is a bastion of free speech.
“Free speech is supposed to be our guiding value here, and that’s really what the students have done over here at the encampment,” she said. “They’ve put themselves on the line, but also they’ve created this incredible space of learning. The idea that this is disrupting learning is just not based in fact. I know people have been coming here for teach-ins, for documentary screenings. I walk through the camp and I just hear people constantly talking about all the issues that are at the heart of our university community: What is free speech? What is protest? What’s happening in Gaza? What even is Gaza? And people are learning more than ever, which is really incredible. And we should be embracing that kind of thing, rather than making threatening emails like the one this morning.”
As for the general state of the encampment, Maidhof is comforted by the protesters’ resilience despite administrative warning. “Yesterday, a couple of representatives of the pro-Palestine camp met with the university president and provost. It was a really disheartening and, frankly, bad-faith meeting on the part of the administration, where the president refused to acknowledge, even in a private setting, the very basic facts of what’s going on in Gaza. And that includes the destruction of every university, which is not even something people are contesting. As far as I know, the Israeli army also says that every university in Gaza has been destroyed.”
“Of course, people here are worried, coming up on graduation, or even just the end of the quarter. But there are thousands of students across Gaza whose university education has been ripped from them entirely,” she said. “And now their university literally doesn’t exist, their university president has been killed, their thesis advisor has been killed, their archives have been burned.”
— Katherine Weaver, Deputy News Editor
May 3, 7:37 p.m.
A group of about twenty members of the Progressive Labor Party has arrived to the quad after walking from the north, waving three red flags and chanting “Workers of the world unite” into a megaphone.
“Our organization has supported many different student strikes,” said one member, “and we’ve been fighting against racism and imperialism for more than fifty years.”
— Katherine Weaver, Deputy News Editor; Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon, News Reporter
May 3, 7:13 p.m.
A group of Jewish students is hosting a Kabbalat Shabbat service on the eastern side of the quad, opposite from the encampment. The mood is upbeat, with about 25 people dancing and singing.
– Zachary Leiter, Deputy Managing Editor; Katherine Weaver, Deputy News Editor
May 3, 6:52 p.m.
As the sun begins to set, Kabbalat Shabbat services have started in the encampment. Around 50 people have gathered on a tarp to sing and pray together.
Organizers have set up a small table with an assortment of candles. A loaf of challah and bottles of grape juice sit by the candles.
Some worshippers are rocking back and forth and clapping as they sing and pray. Organizers passed around prayer and song books to participants.
A large sign reading “This Jew Says Ceasefire Now” is propped up behind the worshippers.
– Emma Janssen, Deputy News Editor
May 3, 6:37 p.m.
At 6:31 p.m., Dean of Students Michele Rasmussen sent an email to the UChicago community regarding the confrontation between protesters and counterprotesters that occurred this afternoon starting around 1 p.m. She emphasized that “using force or physical intimidation to carry out a protest is never acceptable,” and that the quad is a shared public space.
“As this morning’s message from President Alivisatos stated, the encampment on the Quad cannot continue, and we have called on the organizers to end it. In the meantime, it is vital for all members of our community to avoid actions that could undermine safety.”
— Tiffany Li and Katherine Weaver, Deputy News Editors
May 3, 6:33 p.m.
A Ph.D. student at the University has filed a police report for battery. During the confrontation between encampment participants and counterprotesters, between 12:15 and 12:50 p.m., he alleges that he was struck with a wooden shield. Footage reviewed by the Maroon shows the student standing with his hands up at the edge of the barricade before a protester thrusts the board forward, hitting him in the forehead and causing him to stumble back.
At the time of the incident, according to the student, the protesters were holding the wooden shields in a line and pushing people back from the barricade. The student said he held his ground and that the protester directly in front of him hit him with a board that had a Palestinian flag taped over it.
“They were definitely trying to hit me,” the student told the Maroon.
– Maroon Staff
May 3, 5:58 p.m.
An adult male was taken in handcuffs into the back of a UCPD vehicle. About 10 officers were at the scene as well as at least three UCPD cars and one UChicago Safety and Security car. The UCPD car with the arrested individual sped away with lights on. This is a developing story.
– Emma Janssen and Katherine Weaver, Deputy News Editors
May 3, 5:49 p.m.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson released a statement on X today at 5:23 p.m. about the situation at the University.
“Earlier today, I spoke with University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos, where I made clear my commitment to free speech and safety on college campuses,” the statement read. “My administration will continue to evaluate and assess these demonstrations as they develop.”
Johnson also noted that the mayor’s office has “been in contact with the Chicago Police Department and reaffirmed its commitment to deescalation and constitutional policing.”
At least 10 Chicago Police Department cars were present by the quad around 1 p.m. but left without confrontation.
– Emma Janssen, Deputy News Editor
May 3, 4:42 p.m.
Arthur Long, a fourth-year in the College who has helped lead a counterprotest against the encampment involving a number of fraternities, elaborated on the purpose of the gathering.
“We’re showing our pride and our love for our country and the freedom we have to go to this great university and live in this great country,” he said. “What is happening in Gaza right now is horrible. What happened on October 7 was horrible. All the Palestinian children getting bombed and killed is horrible. This isn’t a black-and-white issue. But the thing is, we can’t talk about those issues in a real, logical sense when we have stuff like this going on. Free open discourse only occurs when you can have free open discourse. [The encampment] impedes that.”
Long was then asked whether he believes the University should divest from Israel. “I don’t really feel strongly either way, honestly,” he responded.
Long believes that the protesters’ demands are too vague to truly help the war in Gaza. “Ultimately, this has been going on for 40, 50 years. What steps after the university [divests] are going to be actualized to help with peace in the region? They don’t have, really, a clear answer to that. So I think: go to class, have open, honest conversations, actually go out into the real world. Do something other than sitting on the quad and pooping in a tent,” he said.
Long was one of a number of students who attempted to hang the American flag up on the post in the middle of the quad at 12:30 p.m. and who was then blocked off by encampment protesters. When asked what ran through his head when confronted with protesters, Long replied: “I’m happy, I’m proud. You know, that’s exactly what America is built on. And to have all these other students [who had] just joined… stand behind me to do that, that makes me really proud not only to be an American, but a student at this university.”
— Finn Hartnett, News Reporter
May 3, 4:14 p.m.
Allied Universal officers are no longer blocking access to parts of the quad. A few officers remain in the center of the quad while others walk around the perimeter.
— Sabrina Chang, Deputy News Editor; Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon, News Reporter
May 3, 3:57 p.m.
UCPD officers are returning to the scene without riot gear.
The protesters are no longer in lines surrounding the encampment. Tensions have decreased and activity levels have returned to what they were prior to the counterprotesters’ arrival.
— Eva McCord, Co-Editor-in-Chief; Sabrina Chang and Katherine Weaver, Deputy News Editors
May 3, 3:41 p.m.
The majority of UCPD officers have left the quad and the line has dispersed; only five officers remain. The only officer in riot gear remaining is a deputy chief who arrived when tensions between protesters and counterprotesters were at their peak.
Fewer than 10 counterprotesters remain on the quad.
Five UCPD and three Allied Universal cars remain parked on South Ellis Avenue.
Despite the majority of counterprotesters leaving, Allied Universal is having supervisors bring more reinforcements to the quad.
— Nikhil Jaiswal, Co-Editor-in-Chief Emeritus; Sabrina Chang, Deputy News Editor
May 3, 3:27 p.m.
In an interview with the Maroon, UCUP member Uday Jain, a postdoctoral teaching fellow with the Committee on Social Thought, said that the University engaged in escalation by suggesting they would shut down the encampment and send in police.
“I want to emphasize that the whole [Popular] University for Gaza is an act of deescalation,” Jain said, referring to the name UCUP gave the encampment. “It’s an act of trying to deescalate the genocide. It’s an act of trying to deescalate hate towards Palestinian students, towards Arab students. It’s an act of peace.”
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 3:24 p.m.
UCUP released a statement on the Telegram UCUP Community Network. “Mobilization is no longer needed,” UCUP wrote at 3:15 p.m. “No arrests have been made and we have disbanded our blockade for now.”
The rally has since concluded.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 2:50 p.m.
Twenty-one Allied Security officers remain stationed in a line on the east side of the center of the quad. They are not allowing people to walk through their line.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 2:35 p.m.
A speaker told UCUP protesters on the outer edge of the protest to “stand your ground, we are not going anywhere.”
USG has released a statement on the quad protests. “[The Student Advocate’s Office is] ready and available to assist all undergraduate students facing disciplinary action, regardless of faith, ethnicity, and political affiliation,” they wrote.
The number of counterprotesters has decreased; about half of the original group remains. UCPD officers remain as a barrier between the two protests, but officers appear at ease. Officers with riot gear have masks raised and shields lowered. Encampment protesters are waving more than a dozen Palestinian flags.
— Maroon Staff

May 3, 2:31 p.m.
A man holding an American flag from the group of counterprotesters on the east side of the quad tried to walk into the area on the west side of the quad where pro-Palestine protesters had gathered. UCPD escorted the man back to the east side of the quad.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 2:16 p.m.
In a statement to the Maroon, UCUP said they will “[remain] steadfast in holding the encampment but will not engage in escalation with police or Zionists.”
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 2:05 p.m.
“To this university, safety means armed officers,” a #CareNotCops speaker announced. “That is not safety.”
“Who keeps us safe?” the speaker shouted. “We keep us safe,” the crowd responded.
The speaker accused the University of being involved in “genocide from the South Side to Gaza.”
The prayer has concluded.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 2:00 p.m.
The Maroon briefly spoke to Arthur Long, a fourth-year in the College who led a counterprotest that began at noon today and has continued throughout the afternoon.
“I’m all for freedom of speech. And I love that UChicago protects that. It’s one of the reasons I came here. But you don’t have the freedom to vandalize, you don’t have the freedom to obstruct University walkways, and you don’t have the freedom to disrupt learning. Spraying ‘Death to America’ on buildings, chanting ‘Death to America,’” he said.
Long sent a message on Sidechat yesterday in an attempt to rally support for a patriotic counterprotest. “I just put up on Sidechat, ‘hey, 12:30, tomorrow, we’ll be marching to the quad to put the flag back up.’ That was our original intention.”
Long said the encampment was resistant to his protest. “They had their shields and everything. We weren’t gonna bust through. We don’t want to cause any violence or anything; that only works in their favor,” he said. “They started grabbing on us, I got my American flag grabbed, my friend had his speaker broken. And then we just pushed back to, you know, put our flags up, to celebrate this great country.”
Long and approximately 50 others are currently stationed on the east side of the quad across from the encampment. Many are waving American flags. Protesters draped in the flag of Israel have also joined them.
—Finn Hartnett, News Reporter

May 3, 1:58 p.m.
The Allied Security officers on the east side of the quad have set up a perimeter encircling the counterprotesters.
UCPD is in conversation with one of the students who called for the counterprotest.
The population on the quad remains at roughly 1,000.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 1:44 p.m.
“Right now, the risk of arrest is less. Please stay on the perimeter, but we do not need a hard blockade,” an encampment organizer announced over the loudspeaker. “We will alert you if we need a hard blockade.”
Another organizer then restarted chants.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 1:42 p.m.
A security person is handing yellow vests to Allied Security officers, who are lining up to stand on the perimeter of the center of the quad.
Police officers are asking members of the crowd to stand on either side, as they do not want people crossing the center of the quad.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 1:30 p.m.
Around 1:30 p.m., Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Alderman of the 25th Ward, began a speech speaking in front of the blockade. In March, the alderman came under pressure from colleagues for speaking at a rally protesting American support for Israel where a veteran burned an American flag in front of City Hall.
At the UChicago encampment, he thanked student protesters across the country for “standing up for injustice.” He called on the city of Chicago to protect student protesters. “Make sure [the University is] protecting the students and not allowing shameful attacks that we see in other campuses in the middle of the night,” he said.
— Elena Eisenstadt, Grey City Editor
May 3, 1:26 p.m.
There are now 25 police officers standing in line, alternating facing east and west down the line.
The prayer has started outside Kent Chemical Laboratory, with protesters holding up keffiyehs and Palestinian flags and forming a linked circle around them.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 1:19 p.m.
Twenty-three police officers, some in riot gear and others in standard uniform, have entered the center of the quad. They have formed a line between protesters from the encampment and counterprotesters who marched towards the encampment from the east side.
Officers are instructing demonstrators to back up from the center.
— Maroon Staff

May 3, 1:13 p.m.
Ten CPD and five UCPD cars have arrived on South Ellis Avenue. Multiple UCPD officers have riot gear including helmets and plastic shields on the north side of the quad. There are eight UCPD officers on each side of the quad.
CPD officers are on the scene as well and have helmets and batons.
The wall of protesters facing Levi Hall has grown.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 1:06 p.m.
The University has sent out a cAlert telling the University community to avoid the quad and wrote that there have been “reports of physical altercations.”
Most of the counterprotesters have dispersed, but the UCUP encampment maintains a wall of protesters, chanting with arms linked and blocking both entrances to the encampment.
Sixteen UCPD officers are standing on the eastern side of the quad, most with helmets and some with shields. Some have batons in hand.
“If you are high risk, please leave the site,” a UCUP organizer announced.
—Maroon Staff
May 3, 1:04 p.m.
At least seven members of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) are on the scene. There are several CPD cars parked on South Ellis Avenue, and officers have been spotted on at least two sides of the encampment.
The crowd in the center of the quad has grown significantly. UCUP organizers have set up a line of a mix of wooden and plastic shields facing the counterprotesters as they lock arms.
“Stand your ground, stay firm, do not escalate. We are winning,” the UCUP leader called as chants continued.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 12:52 p.m.
Police with riot gear have been spotted on the Midway.
There is close contact between the 100–200 people gathered in the center of the quad, holding umbrellas, American flags, and Palestinian flags. “How many kids did you kill today?” the protesters chant. Shields have been brought out by the protesters.
In a statement to the Maroon, Maroons for Israel (MFI) said they are not involved with the group of protesters who have marched towards the encampment and are now facing pro-Palestine protesters in the center of the quad.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 12:50 p.m.
The two opposing protests are now facing off across the center of the quad. On the west side of the center circle of the quad are the pro-Palestine protesters chanting “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest,” and “UChicago you can’t hide, you invest in genocide.”
One of the UCUP leaders has called for keffiyehs to be worn or held up.
The counterprotest is made up of Maroons for Israel picnic attendees, fraternity members, and others. They are waving American flags, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and chanting “U.S.A., U.S.A.”
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 12:48 p.m.
Students from several UChicago fraternities have begun marching towards the encampment, heading down South University Avenue on the eastern edge of the quad.
Two faculty for Justice in Palestine members have begun speaking. “Palestinians have the right to resist,” one of them announced. They ended their speech with a new chant: “What is education for? Not for genocide, not for war.”
“What do we as humanists hope to accomplish in the world?” the other faculty member from the humanities division at UChicago said. “[The Popular University] is a place where we can go to remind ourselves of the humanistic vision when our institutions fail us. Come and learn and come and mourn and talk about what’s happening in the region.”
The counterprotester march has increased to about 150 people.
— Maroon Staff
May 3, 12:35 p.m.
UCUP has begun a rally around the encampment with more than 200 protesters. The organizers brought out a set of speakers to amplify their chants as Maroons for Israel plays the American and Israel national anthems during its picnic.
The UCUP organizers are leading chants of “We want justice, you say how, UChicago divest now” and “Where does our tuition go? Bombing Gaza, hell no.” Drums are being pounded to the chants.
Inside the encampment, a small group of protesters are holding makeshift shields behind the giant front sign. They are waving three Palestinian flags to the chants.
In front of the rally, one protester is holding a circular shield that says “We keep us safe.” Another protester has a smaller black shield with the same text written on it.
“This morning we received an email from Paul, and Paul seems to have forgotten the reason we’re here,” one of the organizers announced. “We are here for simple reasons that we have brought to the negotiation table. They have refused to negotiate with us on our very simple demands. I do not think it requires a Ph.D. to understand those demands, but maybe I’m wrong.”
— Maroon Staff

May 3, 12:21 p.m.
Maroons for Israel began a picnic at around noon on the east side of the quad in front of Eckhart Hall, on the opposite side from the encampment. They hung American and Israeli flags from the lampposts and are playing songs, including “Born in the U.S.A.” and “Sweet Home Alabama.” There are around 50 people in attendance, with several individuals waving American flags.
“Judaism is a very important part of my lifestyle, and to see the encampment is a direct threat to our people. That’s why we’re out here today for a picnic: in support of Israel, in support of America, and making sure that everyone’s voices are being heard,” a first-year at the picnic said.
When asked about the American flags, the student said, “It’s important that we recognize that we are Americans, first and foremost, and that we’re able to be seen, and we’re able to be present, and when things like the flags are being taken down and being replaced, it’s a direct attack against our freedoms as Americans.”
Yesterday, the protesters raised a Palestinian flag on the flag post in the middle of the quad after University Facilities Services took down the U.S. flag earlier due to inclement weather.
Eliza Ross, an organizer of the MFI event, said: “We are having a picnic for joy, Israeli and American pride, Jewish students to come together, and anyone who cares to join us. That is the entire point. It’s really about us and us alone.”
“It’s been a very, very hard week, I think for me and for many of us, and I’m hopeful that that difficult week will end first of all on a positive note and second of all with some action from our administration,” she said. “There’s no differentiation in the encampment and really in the Palestinian action here on campus, differentiating the celebration of a massacre and the celebration of continued terrorism of civilians and our brothers and sisters from, you know, political activism—from actual genuine steps towards peace.”
— Maroon Staff

May 3, 12:06 p.m.
Professor emeritus Jerry Coyne returned to the encampment with an unknown individual. Protesters yelled “Fascists go home” at Coyne. The pair left the encampment.
On Tuesday, a demonstrator accused Coyne of spitting on them. Coyne and professor Peggy Mason, who was with him at the time, denied the allegation.
— Peter Maheras, News Editor; Emma Janssen and Tiffany Li, Deputy News Editors
May 3, 11:52 a.m.
Participants of the encampment are conducting another training on using wooden shields in the middle of the encampment between the two wooden signs. A large group is echoing training leaders’ shouts of “Advance,” “Halt,” and “Back.”
– Eva McCord and Kayla Rubenstein, Co-Editors-in-Chief; Tiffany Li, Deputy News Editor
May 3, 11:40 a.m.
A group of roughly six individuals from Maroons for Israel (MFI) have entered the quad and are placing American flags on light posts.
“We’re proud to be Americans,” one of the people raising a flag said.
The group hung up two American flags and two Israeli flags.
— Kayla Rubenstein, Co-Editor-in-Chief; Peter Maheras, News Editor; Katherine Weaver, Deputy News Editor
May 3, 11:37 a.m.
A man was being body-blocked by participants of the encampment, who chanted “Go home, fascist.” Others chanted “Who keeps us safe? We keep us safe.” The participants body-blocked him until he was out of the encampment.
— Eva McCord and Kayla Rubenstein, Co-Editors-in-Chief; Nikhil Jaiswal, Co-Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
May 3, 11:30 a.m.
UCUP posted its daily schedule on Instagram. At noon, UCUP will host a rally, followed by Jummah, the Friday prayer in Islam, at 1:15 p.m. At 2:30, Chicago Community Jail Support is hosting a teach-in, and at 6:30 the encampment will host Shabbat. At 7:45, after Maghrib, Rami Nashashibi (Ph.D. ’10), founder of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, is scheduled to give a speech.
– Kayla Rubenstein, Co-Editor-in-Chief; Anu Vashist, Managing Editor
May 3, 11:23 a.m.
An individual entered the encampment attempting to film protesters. A group of protesters followed after him, holding a keffiyeh to block the camera and chanting “Fascist, go home.”
— Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon, News Reporter
May 3, 10:57 a.m.
A Christian prayer group of roughly 10 people set up outside the encampment on the quad at around 10 a.m. The group is part of the Corona Testing Control Group, which was started by Rachel Fulton Brown, an associate professor in the history department. The group was formed “in the context of the testing mandates for those of us who had been given exemptions from the vaccine,” said Fulton Brown.
When asked what brought the prayer group to the quad, Christopher Phillips, a third-year in the College, said they were “a prayer group to pray for peace both in the Middle East and on our campus. In a very nonpartisan way, we hope to promote peace and demonstrate against human suffering.”
Fulton Brown added that they were “praying for forgiveness, and specifically to the end of the cycle of vengeance that humanity is perpetually caught in.”
— Tiffany Li, Deputy News Editor; Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon, News Reporter
May 3, 10:55 a.m.
In their meeting with University President Paul Alivisatos and Provost Katherine Baicker on Thursday, UCUP organizers pressed the University on its divestment policy, partnerships with Israeli universities, disclosure of investments, and unwillingness to comment on the destruction of Palestinian universities, according to sources with knowledge of the meeting’s contents.
— Peter Maheras, News Editor; Nikhil Jaiswal, Co-Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
May 3, 10:35 a.m.
UCUP released a statement regarding a Thursday afternoon meeting with President Paul Alivisatos and Provost Katherine Baicker to “discuss the demands of student organizers,” which UCUP said “ended without resolution.”
In its statement, UCUP criticized the administrators for “refusing to make concrete steps forward” on the protesters’ demands and for not using the term “scholasticide” regarding the destruction of universities in Gaza. They said there were disparities in political neutrality regarding University statements around the Russian invasion of Ukraine compared to the conflict in Gaza.
“It is clear to UCUP that the University is negotiating in bad faith. UCUP refuses to accept President Alivisatos’ repeated condescending offer of a public forum to discuss ‘diverse viewpoints’ on the genocide, as this is clearly a poor attempt at saving face without material change,” reads a quote in UCUP’s statement from Christopher Iacovetti, a graduate student who participated in the meeting.
“UCUP stands unequivocally against genocide and with the people of Palestine until liberation,” the statement concluded.
— Tiffany Li, Deputy News Editor
May 3, 10 a.m.
The quad encampment has now been in place for 96 hours.
– Kayla Rubenstein, Co-Editor-in-Chief
May 3, 9:58 a.m.
University Facility Services has removed the chalk from the door of Kent Laboratory.
– Eva McCord and Kayla Rubenstein, Co-Editors-in-Chief
May 3, 9:51 a.m.
University Facilities Services has removed the chalk and is in the process of removing graffiti from Levi Hall. A supervisor told the Maroon that Facilities planned to remove all markings on the buildings.
– Eva McCord, Co-Editor-in-Chief; Tiffany Li, Deputy News Editor

May 3, 9:21 a.m
UCPD and Allied Security officers are taking down the ribbon banner in front of Levi Hall. Pedestrians can now walk under the passage way.
– Kayla Rubenstein, Co-Editor-in-Chief
May 3, 9:12 a.m.
Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP) released a statement to the Maroon regarding President Alivisatos’s 8:41 a.m. email to University community members.
“FJP condemns President Alivisatos’ statement in the strongest possible terms. The administration has not negotiated in good faith with our students, offering them absolutely nothing in hastily arranged meetings. In light of the brutal police repression of students, faculty and staff across the country, threatening to forcefully dismantle the encampment is a serious escalation.”
— Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon, News Reporter
May 3, 9:07 a.m.
One UCPD officer is in front of Levi Hall.
– Kayla Rubenstein, Co-Editor-in-Chief
May 3, 8:56 a.m.
No officers are in front of Levi Hall. The ribbon banner remains.
– Kayla Rubenstein, Co-Editor-in-Chief
May 3, 8:41 a.m.
In an email sent to the University community titled “Effects of the Encampment,” President Paul Alivisatos addressed the University’s continued concerns over the state of the encampment and its “systematic disruption of campus.”
“But the encampment cannot continue,” Alivisatos wrote.
“I very much regret that we have not yet found common ground,” Alivisatos said. “On Monday, I stated that we would only intervene if what might have been an exercise of free expression blocks the learning or expression of others or substantially disrupts the functioning or safety of the University.”
“Without an agreement to end the encampment, we have reached that point.”
— Maroon Staff


May 3, 8:30 a.m.
UCUP instructed encampment participants to not confirm or deny their identity as students to anybody who asked, including to UCPD officers and other encampment participants. In the message, sent via Telegram and reviewed by the Maroon, UCUP also told student protesters to not show their UChicago IDs when asked.
“This is to make sure we are in solidarity + protect ALL those who have generously agreed to hold this space with us,” the message reads.
According to University policy, “If asked by such a University employee to show identification, UChicago ID carriers are required to show their card. If a student, employee, or academic visitor who is asked for identification has any concern about the request or believes that they were not treated appropriately during the interaction, that person must nonetheless comply with the request for identification.”
— Anu Vashist, Managing Editor; Tiffany Li, Deputy News Editor
May 3, 8:18 a.m.
The front entrance of Levi Hall is still blocked by UCPD officers and Allied Security officers.
— Zachary Leiter, Deputy Managing Editor
May 3, 7:52 a.m.
A Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP) faculty police liaison told the Maroon that 10 UCPD officers took down the Palestinian flag that had been raised over the encampment and returned it to protesters shortly before 5 a.m. According to the liaison, UCPD indicated that the University had determined that the flag was causing too much controversy and had to be removed. There was no confrontation between UCPD and protesters.
Later, at around 5:30 a.m., four Facilities Services workers arrived at the encampment and cut the flagpole’s rope, preventing any flags from being raised.
— Eva McCord, Co-Editor-in-Chief; Austin Zeglis, Senior News Reporter
May 3, 7:30 a.m.
The Palestinian flag raised on the flagpole over the encampment late yesterday afternoon was removed overnight. The flagpole’s halyard and the tape holding it down had both been cut, preventing any flags from being raised. The Palestinian flag hanging from a tree near Maroons for Israel’s installation was also removed.
— Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon, News Reporter
