Colorado students reject offer from Denver's Auraria Campus in pro-Palestinian demonstration

A ramshackle community of tents that has overtaken part of the Tivoli Quad remained Thursday night, a week after protestors moved in to demand actions from the schools at Auraria that they step away from any connections with Israel.

Students who are occupying Denver's Auraria Campus quad to protest the war in Gaza rejected an offer from their schools. 

The offer would have donated thousands of dollars to the International Red Cross if they had taken down the tents. The offer was the school's attempt to clear the growing encampment that's been there for a week with graduation ahead. 

"You will be remembered as having to try to bribe those you are entrusted to educate. Bribe them into complicity with the genocide," cried out protest leader Paul Nelson, a former student as he addressed the crowd and media Thursday evening. "The amount of money that they've offered us in this bribe is enough to pay for two semesters worth of classes." 

While the war in Gaza continues, students in Fort Collins, Pueblo, Denver and Boulder are demanding that schools cut academic and financial ties with groups that are connected to Israel's military. That includes study abroad programs with the country, along with investments in companies that conduct business with the Israeli military.

"We're in absolute support of your right to free speech, your right to assemble," said Auraria Campus CEO Colleen Walker, who initially enforced the campus's camping ban. 

CBS News Colorado Reporter Alan Gionet was at the campus moments after the students rejected the offer and says, nearly an hour after the deadline, no one took down a tent. 

Gionet says that no police were on the scene after the deadline.

A group of donors reportedly came forward with a nonpartisan humanitarian solutions that included $15,000 in the name of Students For Democratic Society donated to the International Red Cross, but only if the encampment was taken down by 5 p.m. Thursday, which was rejected swiftly by the students. 

"Us organizers are simply organizing to see those demands met," said Khalid Hamu, a senior at CU Denver and a protest leader.

"The students are well aware that they are in violation of our no camping policy. They have had 20, what I would call -- successful protests since October. They followed the rules then; they're well aware of those rules," said Walker. "They also as a student organization they know how to rent out spaces here on campus. How to reserve spaces for their events. So they're ignoring both of those aspects." 

Members of the Students For Democratic Society had more calls for resistance and reiterated how they want their original demands fulfilled. 

The protestors are continuing to call for the schools to divest. Only CU Denver has contracts with Israeli entities and there are no semester abroad programs in the Middle East.    

"We have been leaning in from the beginning and now we are leaning in even more," said Walker.

But the vows to continue remained loud on campus. The schools enter finals next week, followed by graduations on the weekend. Both Metropolitan State University of Denver and CU Denver planned graduations off campus at the Coliseum. 

Community College of Denver has graduation planned for the other side of the Auraria campus on May 9.

There was no action taken to remove the protestor encampment after the 5pm deadline passed. They remained Thursday night. 

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