Sam Jackson
Protestors called for a ceasefire in Gaza from the steps of Markle Hall.
About a dozen students from a pro-Palestine student group organized a protest last Friday afternoon, disrupting tours that were part of an admissions event for accepted students called Fridays at Lafayette. The protest elicited formal complaints.
Purposefully held to disrupt EarthFest according to the group’s Instagram, the protest began on the stairs of Farinon College Center and moved to Markle Hall.
Instead of responding to specific questions, Abigail Schaus ’24 sent a statement on behalf of the members of Pards 4 Palestine explaining its motivations.
“At Friday’s rally, we aimed to remind the Lafayette community that while in the West, we continue to live in relative comfort and safety, Israel is razing Palestine to the ground and attempting to wipe out an entire people,” the statement read. “Before our very eyes, Israel is committing a genocide with the backing of our country’s government and institutions. Our coalition’s efforts, both on and off campus, serve to highlight inconsistencies within Lafayette College’s stated values.”
“Lafayette College leads with a complete lack of acknowledgment of Palestine and is currently invested in the state of Israel,” the statement continued. “The extent is unknown, as Lafayette College has not disclosed their full investment. We would like to ask anyone bothered by Friday’s demonstration to consider why a brief disruption to their day is more uncomfortable than the slaughter of over 34,000 Palestinians and the decimation of Gaza.”
The death toll of 34,000 reported by the Gaza health ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
Tour guide Brady Valle ‘25 saw the gathering at Farinon at the beginning of his tour. Valle claims he saw other tour groups being followed during his tour.
“By the time I got back to Markle, there was probably about, I want to say, around 10 to 12 students all sitting on the steps,” Valle said.
Tour guide Tim Reinholdt ‘26 took his group around to Kirby Sports Center before returning to Markle to avoid the group sitting on the steps.
Reinholdt claimed that he and his tour group “were stared down” by protestors and that he felt uncomfortable.
“I totally am in support of protesting, but I just don’t think that it’s fair that we were being used as sort of collateral damage in an attempt to speak to administrators,” Reinholdt said.
“In keeping with the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and as a college devoted to the free exchange of ideas, we welcome and encourage Lafayette students to exercise their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of speech,” wrote Sarah Moschenross, the vice president for student life, in an email. “At the same time, of course, students must also abide by the law and, as members of the College community, the Student Code of Conduct, which helps ensure that all students and employees share a safe learning and working environment.”
“We have received formal complaints about Friday’s protest, and this matter is now under review in keeping with the Student Handbook,” Moschenross continued.
Director of Public Safety Jeff Troxell confirmed that Public Safety had received multiple complaints about the protest and a report was written up and sent to the Office of Student Conduct.
According to Troxell, Chief of Police James Meyer had a “discussion” with at least one member of the group in response to a call about the protest for disruptive behavior. Meyer was not contacted for comment.
Troxell said that he thought the conversation between Public Safety and the protesters “was productive” and that “they could continue to do their protesting.”
According to the Student Code of Conduct, disruptive behavior is defined as “the obstruction of teaching, research, administration, and/or other College-authorized activities” and “noise produced by activities or actions of individuals or groups that interferes with the educational purpose of the College, disturbs others, or conflicts with other College or community events.”
Pards 4 Palestine held a protest in October that appears to be linked to a federal hate probe.
Selma O’Malley ’26 contributed reporting.