“It is urgent for the student movement to wake up.”

More than a hundred tents occupied the grass tonight in front of the student building at the Complutense University of Madrid. Students at the main public universities in the capital are protesting the killing of civilians in Gaza and joining international marches demanding a ceasefire in the Strip and calling on governments to sever their political and economic relations with Israel.

At ten o’clock at night, all the tents were already set up, and a group about guitars and dinner was announced. “Guys, there are six people who ordered a vegetarian dinner, but only two came,” a young woman announced over the loudspeaker. “When all these things are served, we start serving food to everyone,” he adds. A group of students approaches the tables, while several students bring food from home: potato omelettes, supermarket empanadas, pasta.

A number of young people gathered around two candles, a guitar, and a flute, chanting I will not hesitate, Bolivian soldier And Street air. They are the most vibrant group in the camp. Volunteers at the information point, next to the purple dot, guide new arrivals to designated camping areas and discuss library hours. They need to go brush their teeth. They were all chanting political slogans since the morning. They called for a demonstration at 7:30 p.m., in which about 200 people participated, in addition to university professors and employees.

“It is very urgent for the student movement to wake up and start a massive mobilization that also affects other sectors,” says Natalia, a Complutense student and student representative at the Faculty of Political Sciences. This focus was called for by the Inter-University Cluster for Palestine, and brings together students from the Autonomous University, Complutense University, Carlos III University of Madrid, and Rey Juan Carlos University.

It is extremely urgent that the student movement wakes up and begins a massive mobilization that will also affect other sectors.

Natalia, student

Dozens of Palestinian flags fluttered in the improvised camp, and organizations hung posters calling on university presidents to suppress any kind of agreement with Tel Aviv. “We are trying to draw attention, with all our might and within our power, to contribute with our grain of sand and put an end to the genocide that is now taking place in Gaza,” says Sonia Camacho, representative of the Inter-University Cluster. Daniel Meir Richard, who is also spokesman for the Palestine Camp in Madrid, stated that his intention was to “join the wave of international solidarity” extending from the United States to many other European capitals. “We believe that we cannot remain silent while our universities and governments cooperate with genocide,” the young man says.

“There is a horrific genocide in which our government is complicit, and in which our universities are also complicit. More than 40,000 Palestinians have already been killed,” Natalia says. “We will not stop until universities cut all kinds of ties, whether with the State of Israel, with educational centers, or with “Companies that are part of the government council and that have shares in arms companies,” he confirms.

The duration of the camp is currently undetermined, and the boys hope that more people will join in the coming days. The fact is that they have everything well organized. They brought in dozens of chairs from Decathlon, placed water jugs for everyone at the entrance and trash bags in every corner. They held logistical meetings and set up a study area with desks for students who needed to work. “We are in exam season,” they explain. Were it not for the obvious political and vindictive motives, the stores’ distribution would have resembled that of a summer music festival.

Empty gestures and empty words are of no use to us. Everyone knows that genocide is being committed. We’re watching it live

The chancellor of the Universities of the Community of Madrid, Emilio Viciana, announced on Monday that he intends to contact university deans to ask them to keep “politics out of the classroom.” “Of course it seems unacceptable to us. We always advocate the need to leave politics out of the classroom. From the Community of Madrid we will do everything in our power to achieve this,” he warned, as the demands of Madrid students began to be shared across the networks.

On the other hand, the central government expressed its support for the student campaign. The Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana, said yesterday: “As Minister of Universities, I must show my pride in the university students in our country who have critical thinking and who practice it and transmit it to society through universities and public spaces.” Morant.

However, the CEO’s words mean little to the young people gathering on campus. “We ask the government to cut ties with Israel and put an end to the arms trade,” says Meir Richard. “Empty gestures and empty words are of no use to us. Everyone knows he is committing genocide. We are seeing it live,” he adds.

After dinner, some students organize a card tournament. “Let’s play Sleeping City. Do you want?” They ask. Meanwhile, others play “Tetris” to find out how to sleep. The majority of tents are single, although many couples strive to prove their suitability. Others are so large that their occupants can decorate the interior walls with Palestinian flags. Around 11:00 p.m., it starts to get cold, the air rises and attendees share jackets and blankets.

-Can I take a picture of you?

– Yes, my parents actually watched me on TV.

The difference in how quickly the Ukrainian-Russian conflict and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cut ties with other universities angers many gathered on campus. They confirm that they “did not hesitate with Russia,” and that in this case they were told “it is impossible.” “We did not see the same reaction, neither from the universities, nor from the government, nor from the media,” Camacho says. Some students also condemn the suppression of the pro-Palestinian movement by university administrations. “At Carlos III University, there were demonstrations demanding the severing of relations with Israel, and the university responded with a protocol that prohibits associations from criticizing the university and limits all their activities to institutional loyalty,” says Mer Richard. .

When the student movement rises against oppression and against imperialism, it is able to infect other sectors.

The pro-Palestinian camps in the United States – which began at Columbia University and have already left more than 2,500 detainees in the country – have reached Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris. In Spain, they started at Valencia, which was joined by Barcelona, ​​Euskadi, and now Madrid. “For me, it’s a turning point,” says Natalia. “We have not seen the student movement act at the international level for many years, but history has shown us that when the student movement rises against oppression and against imperialism, it is able to infect other sectors.”

“Today the student movement in Madrid has begun its activity. “They are already part of this international wave of the generation that says no, they will not watch on social networks how genocide happens,” Natalia says goodbye. The sounds and songs begin to calm down at two in the morning. Most of the demonstrators are there In their shop, with only a few friends left to finish their last cigarette they say: “Come on, more tomorrow.”