Several pro-Palestinian student organizations held low-attendance demonstrations on campus in the days leading up to Monday, October 7, the 1st anniversary since Hamas' attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

About 15 people gathered in Firestone Plaza in the early afternoon of Oct. 7 to paint a large banner reading “Glory to the Martyrs, Glory to the Resistance” and read aloud the names and ages of Palestinian children who were killed by the Israeli military killed last year.

In a social media post, organizers described the event as a commemoration of “one year of genocide, 76 years of occupation.”

“Oct. 7 will go down in human history as a reminder of losses of all kinds. And I think it's also important, in the historical context in which we live, to describe it as one of the first and most significant ruptures of a colonial world order… a violent, heinous rupture that still took place under the auspices of an anti-colonial movement . Aditi Rao GS, an organizer of the Princeton Israeli Apartheid Divest (PIAD) present at the demonstration, said when asked about the meaning of the banner.

“This anti-colonial movement is called resistance, and everything that has happened in the past year is part of this movement… to have a liberated Palestinian people living on the liberated Palestinian land,” she added.

Some people handed out fliers to bystanders urging students, alumni and other university officials to submit their support for divesting investments from Israel to the Council of the Princeton University Committee (CPUC) Resources Committee, which is reviewing a proposal submitted over the summer. Discussion points included: “(e)very minority group should be concerned about how this issue is being handled” and “Consensus is a stupid concept to begin with.”

Another group of about 30 students, with some overlap with Monday's participants, took part in a die-in at the square on Saturday, October 5, as part of an International Day of Action in Support of Palestine campaign.

“It is deeply painful to hear the names of the 725 martyrs we could only read, 724 of whom were all less than a year old,” said Amber Rahman, 25, who was present as they died. “Knowing that this has gone on for almost a year and our university has not made an inch of progress on divestiture is deeply painful, and they will one day pay the price.”

Protesters opted for silence at a study session Sunday in the Trustee Reading Room, taping signs to the back of their laptops with statements like “All universities in Gaza have been destroyed,” “'Israel' is committing school murder,” “There are none Midterm elections in Gaza” and “As we learn, Lebanon is burning.” Some protesters wore keffiyehs and a student attached a small Palestinian flag to a desk lamp. Students who were not involved in the study-in studied quietly nearby for the midterm exams.

At least 15 students took part in the study-in, which took place in two sessions this afternoon.

Before the rehearsal began, some Public Safety Officers (PSAFE) were stationed outside the Firestone Library and Trustee Reading Room but did not interact with the protesters.

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Courses at other universities have generated significantly more controversy. At Harvard, more than 12 students were banned from the school's Widener Library for two weeks after conducting a study-in last month.

Princeton's protest policy states that protest activities in libraries and similar facilities “shall be conducted in a manner that respects the need to maintain an appropriate level of tranquility in such areas.”

Turnout for this week's protests was lower than previous pro-Palestine demonstrations this semester. This includes a vigil hosted by Princeton Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) on September 30, which drew approximately 100 participants.

While most of the action this week took place near Firestone, some university employees who came to work Monday morning were spotted with pro-Palestinian graffiti at the entrance to 22 Chambers St., where the Princeton University Investment Company (PRINCO) is headquartered welcomed.

Red paint was splattered across the door and “$4Genocide” was written in black letters. PIAD posted a photo of the graffiti on its Instagram story with the caption “New decoration in the Princo building.”

The graffiti was reported to PSAFE at 6:44 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to the agency's daily crime log. Around 10:30 a.m., a worker was seen removing graffiti from the building and sidewalk.

University spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill confirmed the incident was under investigation.

Miriam Waldvogel is deputy news editor and investigative editor for The Prince. She is from Stockton, California and is frequently involved in campus activism and university accountability.

Annie Rupertus is a senior news editor for the Prince based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, frequently covering activism and campus governance.

Nikki Han is a news writer for The Prince.

Please send any corrections to Corrections(at)dailyprincetonian.com.