KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Students at the University of Missouri - Kansas City gathered Monday to form a liberation zone in support of Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war.
The effort was led by the UMKC student group UMKC Students for Justice in Palestine.
In a release, the group said the space would be used for students, faculty and community members to share their experiences, perspectives and messages of hope.
UMKC SJP said the zone would include posters and signs.
The group planned to set up tents that would be used "hubs for dialogue, discussion, and community engagement as well as symbolic representations of daily life for Palestinian refugees."
Asked for comment on the liberation zone, a UMKC spokesperson said the university would respect "the rights of students to assemble, engage in civil discourse and peaceful protests."
They also said the university expected SJP to uphold policies regarding protesting.
The spokesperson said campus leaders notified students that they were in violation of the policy when they began putting up tents.
UMKC policy states the university prohibits “camping or the use of temporary shelters."
Around 9:00 p.m. the group of protestors packed up and left the campus for the night.
KSHB 41 asked for clarification on if and how the university would enforce the policy and this story will be updated when a response is received.
The zone was launched at 2 p.m. on Monday, the same day U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal from Israel, according to the Associated Press.
As part of the liberation zone, UMKC SJP listed five demands for UMKC and the University of Missouri System.
The demands, among other things, asked UMKC and the UM System to terminate programs and ties with Israeli academic institutions like study abroad programs.
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