University of Illinois at Chicago faculty honor 14,000 Palestinians killed in war
CHICAGO (CBS) – Small white flags covered the grass on the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) campus Wednesday to mark the more than 14,000 Palestinians killed by Israel in the war between Hamas and Israel.
The names were read aloud outside of University Hall at UIC. The first 88 names alone belonged to just one family in Gaza.
The UIC faculty members who held the memorial said the event was also meant to bring attention to the university administration's recent statement in response to the war - a letter they said failed to acknowledge 75 years of oppression experienced by Palestinians. CBS 2 reached out to the university for comment, but did not hear back.
That letter was also criticized during a recent student-led protest of a University of Illinois Board of Trustees meeting. Students said the letter did not adequately support Palestinian-American students impacted by the war, and they demanded the administration condemn the killings of Palestinians and divest from activities and programs connected to Israel.