University of New Mexico students set up camp this week at the school’s Duck Pond to protest the Israel-Hamas war  — calling for a ceasefire — and demanding that the university divest from Israel. 

Pro-Palestinian protests have been heating up on college campuses across the country over the past two weeks as students gather to protest the Israel-Hamas war. More than 100 students were arrested last week at Columbia University. 

“I think what’s going on is bad. I had family who was in France during the occupation by the Nazis and a lot of the stuff my grandma told me, when I see the stuff that’s going on in Gaza, it reminds me of that,” said Max Stimer, 21, a physics student at the school. 

The protesters are demanding that UNM disclose all financial investments the school has with Israeli companies, that the school divest from all institutions profiting from what they call the genocide of Palestinians, that UNM officials call for a cease-fire, and that they boycott all Israeli educational institutions and end study abroad programs.  

The ongoing conflict has resulted in the deaths of 34,356 people, including 14,500 children and 8,400 women, according to Al Jazeera. Over 77,000 Palestinians have been injured since the attacks began in October, and 8,000 Palestinians are missing.

“I feel bad that our tax dollars are going towards that,” Stimer said. “There’s so many homeless people in this country. We could be spending it on that, or we could be spending it on treating diseases or drug addiction, but it’s going to fucking kill poor people on the other side of the world.” 

Stimer said he’s been at the camp for several days and isn’t planning to leave soon. 

Israel’s attack on Gaza began after Hamas stormed the border on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. Israel responded by bombing Gaza and demanding that their hostages be freed. 

The bombings have resulted in the mass killings of civilians by Israel and have sparked worldwide outrage and mass protests calling for a cease-fire. The protest at UNM was part of a nationwide campaign at university campuses including Yale, Harvard, Tufts, the University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California and Emory University, with more universities joining daily.  

Worldwide, many Jewish people have joined in the protests against the Israeli bombardment, while others believe the protests are anti-Semitic. 

Dakota Atkinson, 22, said he was supporting Gaza because Palestinians are people like everyone else.

“They’re being treated indiscriminately and they’re being massacred and we are all witnessing it in a sense that we never have before and our voices just are not being heard and they’re being tortured and it’s just horrible,” he said. 

Atkinson said showing support for Palestine is the least we can do. 

Since the current war in Gaza broke out six months ago, Atkinson said he’s been paying close attention to what’s been happening and it makes him feel devastated and sick to his stomach. 

“I’ve been watching insanely explicit and violent things for the last six months that I never thought I would see with my own eyes and just to see the complacency of our government and our legislature and the silence, especially of the faculty of this school, and just the silence everywhere is just shocking. It’s woken me up. I’ve been very much changed by this experience,” he said. 

The school, Atkinson said, should be helping students speak up against what’s going on, but he says instead they’re actively oppressing protesters on campus. 

University of New Mexico protesters pitched their first tents on Monday night and had issues with school officials, UNM Police and New Mexico State Police, according to an article published by The Daily Lobo. Police also visited the camp on night two, shining flashlights in tents. 

Stimer said protesters aren’t planning to leave UNM anytime soon. No students have been arrested from the camp as of press time.