MACON, Ga. — Dozens of Mercer University students and faculty gathered on Wednesday to support other students' right to protest.
Some said they are responding to protests on campuses nationwide where demonstrators have clashed with police as they protest campus ties to Israel.
"It's really easy to become complicit. By coming out here, it's really scary," Mercer senior and organizer Belle Hart said. "But it's important to boost the voices of minority groups, especially when certain rights and privileges as students are being held over our heads"
Students say the university broke up a peaceful protest against a conservative speaker on campus in April. They also say the university did not release a statement or answer questions about why the protest was made to disperse.
"We assert that Mercer has given us the right to peacefully assemble on campus and we should be able to use that right," Mercer senior and organizer Tori Glazier said.
A student was arrested and charged with simple battery after arguing with Atlas Society CEO Jennifer Grossman. They were arguing about her stance on Israel.
Glazier says they and other organizers stand in solidarity with students across the nation who are protesting on college campuses.
"We show up for the things that we care about at Mercer and just that we have the right to voice our concerns both about the university and about things globally," they said.
During the demonstration, speakers educated the crowd on ways to protest and read poetry from Palestinian writers.
The protest was not affiliated with or organized by any one group on Mercer's campus.
"This isn't a divisive issue. For me, I came out here because this isn't partisanship, this isn't a difference of opinion, this is a human rights crisis. We want everybody to feel welcome, we want everybody to feel like they have a chance to come here and share their voice so long as that voice is not oppressive in nature or minimizing others," Hart said.
The university released the statement below about the demonstration:
As a matter of practice, peaceful protests by students or other members of the Mercer University community are allowed on campus as long as they do not interfere with vehicular traffic and ingress/egress to buildings, are not disruptive to scheduled activities, and otherwise adhere to the Student Code of Conduct and non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies.
Speakers at the protest on campus asked the university to make a statement of support for minority students and to call for a ceasefire in Palestine.
Students also asked for signatures for a petition to support students' rights and safety at the university.