Since staging weeks of extended demonstrations throughout May on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus, pro-Palestinian demonstrators have adjusted their strategy to continue to call for Israel to stop military action in the Gaza Strip and for local institutions to support the rights of Palestinians.
As community groups organizing for Palestinian rights pivot from campus protests to other methods of community organizing over the summer, their focus is on longer-term strategies for raising awareness and pushing university and city officials to cut ties with Israeli companies.
"We are moving into a deeper level of organizing that focuses on our long-term goals and mobilization," Mariam Atatrah, a Palestinian organizer told Knox News. "We are still very much invested in our demands for the university to divest from this war machine, but we are using this summer to think long-term about our plans going forward. But we aren't going anywhere and will continue to demonstrate on campus and put pressure on our city officials as well."
About 100 local organizers and community members held a lengthy vigil and rally the night of June 5 on Market Square to commemorate Naksa Day, which marks the displacement of Palestinians from Israel following the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. The term Naksa means setback in Arabic, reflecting the profound impact of the war, during which Israel occupied the Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Atatrah told Knox News that Palestinians in Knoxville have been coming together for several years in observance of Naksa Day, providing a space to grieve and raise awareness.
"I think that it's really important, and we hope that people will understand that Palestinians aren't just grieving something that happened 57 years ago to be exact. The violence has been happening continually since then, every single day," Atatrah said. "What's happening today is not happening in a vacuum ... it's violence that we've been seeing for a very, very long time."
Other programs held by organizers in recent weeks have have included an educational forum and a community market.
Protesters face charges after campus arrests
The 11 pro-Palestine demonstrators who were arrested on May 15 during a vigil at UT are scheduled for preliminary hearings June 24 on misdemeanor charges of criminal trespassing.
The group of community members and students was the second to be arrested since demonstrations on campus began May 1. On May 2, seven students and two community members were arrested while demonstrating on the lawn of the College of Law. That group was released on citations without criminal charges, although the students could face disciplinary action from the university.
Yassin Terou, the well-known owner of the Yassin's Falafel House restaurants, was among the group arrested on May 15 and is being represented by attorney Loretta Cravens. Terou – a Syrian refugee who earned American citizenship in 2020 – filed a complaint with the University of Tennessee Police Department related to his arrest May 15. He is asking the department to investigate after he was hospitalized at the University of Tennessee Medical Center after he said he was injured during his arrest.
What happened the night of the arrests
Around 8 p.m. May 15, demonstrators received a warning from Allen Bolton, UT's interim senior vice chancellor for finance and administration, to vacate the lawn of the College of Law. Bolton told them to relocate to the Student Union lawn to a spot the university had reserved for their protest activities.
University administrators set time, location, and manner restrictions for the demonstrations. These restrictions, commonly deemed constitutional, included broad guidelines reserving the Student Union space for demonstrators from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily until May 18. Those times aligned with the permissible gathering hours on state property before Tennessee's prohibition against overnight "camping" takes effect.
After Bolton's directive, activists were given 10 minutes to clear the law school's lawn. After that deadline, police began arresting demonstrators.
University officials said students will face disciplinary measures
In a communication with Knox News on May 6, UT spokesperson Kerry Gardner said, "University leadership monitors the activities on the ground and responds accordingly. Our goal is to maintain compliance with law and university policy with the appropriate amount of intervention."
Students arrested during the demonstrations could face disciplinary measures. Some students from the group arrested May 2 met with UT officials on May 6. While UT refrains from commenting on individual cases, Gardner noted that violations of the school's code of conduct could result in suspensions.
Information regarding the status of disciplinary actions for students arrested on May 15 remains undisclosed due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act preventing disclosure of individual student cases.
Non-students who were arrested banned from campus
The university has issued trespass warnings to the non-student demonstrators who were arrested, forbidding them from coming to the campus in the future. The trespass citations apply to any university property,” meaning all land, grounds, structures, and any other physical property owned, controlled, or operated by the University of Tennessee, according to its policy.
Gardner told Knox News that those issued citations can continue to be on city-owned sidewalks around the campus.
Those trespass warnings last indefinitely, Gardner said this week, adding that those who received the citations were told about the process to appeal them.
Demonstrations and campus arrests subside after graduation
Only one other related arrest has occurred since May 15. On May 17, Joy Ellis, 19, was arrested on the UT campus, marking his second misdemeanor criminal trespassing charge during a demonstration. He was among those arrested May 15.
On May 18, during UT's graduation weekend, pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through Knoxville to extend their message to the wider community, after weeks of focused efforts on the University of Tennessee campus.
Operating primarily under the banner of the People's School for Gaza, the group maintained a near-daily presence on campus May 1-18, advocating for UT's disengagement from ties with Israel.
Angela Dennisis the Knox News race, justice and equity reporter. Email angela.dennis@knoxnews.com.
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