LSU organizations Students for a Democratic Society and Students for Justice in Palestine held a “Walk Out and Rally for Palestine” on May 3 to call for LSU divestment from Israeli energy interests; in response, a counter protest formed to oppose the pro-Palestinian efforts.

The protest was over LSU’s involvement in GoMed, a consortium focused on improving the safety, efficiency and sustainability of offshore natural gas production, and on leading one of three inaugural U.S.-Israel Energy Centers in the U.S. The consortium includes Tulane, LSU, University of Louisiana, Tel Aviv University and the University of Haifa among others. The research is expected to conclude in 2025.

The $27 million initiative is a partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy and Israel’s Ministry of Energy. The research focuses mostly on off-shore gas production in the Eastern Mediterranean that LSU researchers said will have an impact on the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana’s petrochemical industry.

“LSU’s College of Engineering joined the U.S. Israeli Energy – the GoMed Consortium – in 2020, and has spent the past 4 years working together with Israeli universities to develop technology for oil extraction from Gaza’s coast,” LSU SDS and SJP at LSU said in the joint Instagram post announcing the walk out. 

The protest also urged the LSU administration to pass SGR 26, a resolution passed by LSU Student Government. The resolution calls for the university’s divestment from organizations that profit or engage with human rights abuses in U.S. prisons, at the U.S.-Mexican border, in occupied Palestine and environmentally. 

“LSU administration has also refused to pass Student Government Resolution 26, calling for a full divestment from Israel,” the post read. “Let’s put pressure on LSU to disclose and divest.”

SJP at LSU’s President Ayah Hamdam, a kinesiology and sociology freshman, said that the march started at Patrick F. Taylor Hall, the home of the College of Engineering, as a protest of the college’s involvement with Israel’s oil drilling on Gaza’s coast.

“I’m just happy that everybody’s here now, we’re aware now of what our tax dollars are going to,” Hamdam said. “It’s not like it’s a foreign affair; our money can change it. We’re doing something about it.”

Protesters said chants including “not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crime,” and “disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.”

LSU SDS’s Secretary of Membership Gabriela Juárez, a political science freshman, was one of the leaders of the divestment protest, leading chants and spurring on supporters.

“… As LSU continues to enable this genocide through their funding of the GoMed consortium and their partnership with Israeli universities to develop technologies to extract oil off the coast of Gaza, then we feel as students, with our money being used to fund this genocide, we have an extreme … obligation to stand up, and make noise, and demand that the university not perpetuate this genocide with our money,” Juárez said.

Across from the pro-divestment protest, counter protesters holding American flags gathered in front of PFT, chanting “USA,” singing the national anthem and yelling for the other protesters to “take a shower.”

Around 12:45 p.m., LSU SDS and SJP at LSU’s protest began their march to Free Speech Alley, with the counterprotest in tow. Chanting continuously during the march, the group ended at the steps of the LSU Student Union. From here, the pro-divestment group positioned themselves at the building’s entrance, and the counter protesters gathered at the bottom of the steps and in the road.

As the protest continued, more students joined in, either to watch or chant. One student who was present on the counterprotest side was psychology senior Hannah Poltorak, who stood at the front of the counterprotest holding an Israeli flag.

“A lot of the people here—on my side—are here supporting America because these people are terrorists trying to infiltrate our universities, our schools and our places of safety,” Poltorak said.

Many people who gathered in Free Speech Alley did not take part in the protests, instead watching as the groups shared their chants. Holding his bible and praying, Lee Ship took in the scene.

“I think students should be educated and I think they should understand the cost and the conflict, and I don’t believe that many people out here really understand,” Ship said.

Curtnisha Marshall, a political science junior, was in Free Speech Alley when the march arrived.

“I like to see that students are standing for what they believe in,” Marshall said. “Do I think the unnecessary protest against that is needed? Not really … for students who don’t do research to just come out here … showing the American flag and yelling random chants at them, I feel like it’s sort of a slap in the face of what Free Speech Alley and what this institution sets up for us students to have free speech and all.”

State Sen. Alan Seabaugh watched the protest from the LSU Parade Ground. Seabaugh said he did not think the protest was going to be effective.

“I mean look, I always find it funny when somebody starts a war, then starts crying for a ceasefire,” Seabaugh said. “If you don’t want to get shot, don’t start it. And I think anybody that’s going to take and try to block a building in favor of terrorists, deserves what they get.”

Seabaugh told The Reveille he was attending the event in support of his legislative assistant, political science junior Ethan Vogin, who stood in front of the counter protestors holding an American flag and chanting.

LSU English professor Casey Patterson also watched the protests. Patterson explained how important it is for LSU students to be aware and informed of the crisis.

“Like anyone who lives, votes, or pays taxes in the U.S. right now, LSU students are engaged in the mass murder of Palestinians …,” Patterson said in an email to The Reveille. “It is important for LSU students to learn about it, think about it, and decide for themselves what they want to do about it, precisely because their lives will be tied up in it anyway.”

At 2 p.m. the demonstrations ended peacefully with both groups leaving the Student Union. At one point police had to divide the two groups, however, there were no arrests.

LSU SDS’s President Ryan Spalt, a biochemistry senior, explained that though the protest experienced resistance, it was still a positive event.

“I wasn’t really expecting all the counter protesters, but I think we did a really great job at uniting students to call for free Palestine and to put pressure on LSU to divest,” Spalt said. “I’m really proud of the community for coming out today.”