University of Michigan students hold dual demonstrations to mark 1 year since Oct. 7 Hamas attack
(CBS DETROIT) - Monday marked one year since the attacks by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and emotions were high with people remembering that day.
Students at the University of Michigan gathered for both a memorial and a vigil remembering the victims of the Oct. 7 attacks. But just a few hundred feet away, there were hundreds of other students gathered for a different purpose and had a different perspective on the Middle East.
It was a day that hit close to home for U of M's Jewish students, who created a memorial on the Diag to commemorate the victims, both dead and kidnapped.
"It's a very emotional day, but it's nice to see all the students who contributed to this and are really getting a lot of this experience and commemorating those who were murdered on Oct. 7," said Jack Landstein, a Jewish U of M student.
Josh Brown, another Jewish U of M student, said, "Other groups on this campus called Oct. 7 a landmark victory; I think it's important to know that there are other people on campus that support Jewish students."
Jewish students stayed out all day Monday at the Diag, eventually putting on a community vigil later in the evening.
On the other side of the lawn, a group of students created a campus walkout at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, calling their action "One year of Genocide, One year of Resistance."
"After 75 years of struggle against Zionist occupation, Oct. 7 stands as a landmark victory for Palestine," said one leader of the group.
After a few students spoke, the pro-Palestinian group marched throughout campus. It was mostly peaceful until there was some tension sparked between the group and police when the students attempted to walk through the Diag where the other group was holding their memorial.
One student told CBS News Detroit that he was pepper sprayed after all he was doing was peacefully protesting.
"In our peaceful protest, the cops decided to enclose us, they decided to arrest some of our members, and they decided to use excessive force including but not limited to pepper spray, body slamming, etc," said Mohammad Sheikh-Khalil.
The university campus police released the following statement:
"One person was arrested, which led to a large group of protesters surrounding police officers and their corresponding patrol car, obstructing movement. This is an active investigation with details still being confirmed, however, it's important to note that in some circumstances, officers may employ crowd control measures if deemed necessary to manage the situation, make arrests, or ensure the safety of individuals involved. The individual who was arrested has since been released, and the incident will be submitted to the prosecutor's office for review."
The events from Monday are yet another example of just how much emotion is still felt from Oct. 7 and events since, and neither side plans to stop advocating and mourning anytime soon.
