Inside Students for Justice in Palestine's "Week of Rage"

After last year's illegal encampment, the anti-Israel group is struggling to maintain momentum

Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison held a “Week of Rage” to mark the anniversary of the October 7th terrorist attacks. However, their demonstrations were smaller than past protests and were overshadowed by anti-terrorism counter-protesters.

On Monday, October 7th, SJP set up a display at the bottom of Bascom Hill consisting of fake body bags, mini Palestinian flags, and signs such as “VOTING FOR GENOCIDE IS NOT brat” and “KAMALA… GAZA IS SPEAKING TOO.”

The demonstration also drew a large group of pro-Israel counter-protesters who blasted music and mocked the SJP organizers.

The Madison Federalist asked the university why SJP was allowed to reserve the space after its illegal encampment earlier this year. UW-Madison spokesman John Lucas said, “UW-Madison supports the free expression rights of students and student organizations, which are outlined in its Expressive Activity Guide.”

“While SJP at UW–Madison is currently on probation related to activities on campus last spring, it retains the rights and privileges of a UW-Madison registered student organization, including the ability to reserve space, so long as it complies with the university's code of conduct for RSOs.”

He provided a link to view the group’s current student organization status, which said that SJP had been “in violation of five organizational rules of conduct, stemming from actions related to the illegal encampment on Library Mall between April 29 and May 11, 2024.”

“The violations, as classified by the Registered Student Organization (RSO) Code of Conduct, were harmful behavior, violation of law, damage to or theft of property, violation of university policy, and disruptive conduct.”

As a result, Students for Justice in Palestine was placed on disciplinary probation for the 2024-2025 academic year.

During Monday’s protest, SJP demonstrators were drowned out by loud booing on multiple occasions. One speaker responded by yelling, “Israel, go to hell!”

Professor Samer Alatout, who was detained while participating in the illegal encampment earlier this year, was heckled by counterprotesters when he got up to speak at the event. One student shouted, “Get a job,” while another said, “Put the fries in the bag!”

Alatout later decried “Jewish supremacy” during his remarks. He was contacted via email by The Madison Federalist to elaborate upon his use of that phrase, but he has not responded.

He blocked one Madison Federalist reporter on X and said that his words had been picked up by the “gotcha fake journalism crowd.” 

“The lack of care, the lack of seriousness, the lack of ethical or serious engagement with issues that dictate life and death is just staggering. Grow up,” Alatout wrote.

Joel Ballivian, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is pictured below putting up Palestinian flags that bystanders knocked down. The Madison Federalist contacted Ballivian via email and asked if he believes there has been a rise in antisemitism on campus, but received no response.

A large vigil was held Monday evening by pro-Israel students and grew to include more than 500 people.

Throughout the week, SJP hosted smaller events such as a “Resistance Teach-In” and a “Study-In.” A second protest was held on Friday, but it drew another small crowd and few counter-protesters.

The group’s chants at Library Mall included one that compared the Madison Police Department to the Ku Klux Klan.

That event culminated in speeches on Bascom Hill, where they called for the funds from organizations such as the University of Wisconsin Foundation to be “invested back into the university,” but said, “They will never do it because they know that investing in students, especially students of color, will not make them money.”

The final speaker at the rally blamed the Board of Regents for not taking student protests seriously and called for a harassment campaign against its members. “I want their little walks to lunch to be a nightmare,” the speaker said.

Students for Justice in Palestine of UW-Madison was contacted for comment, but it did not respond.

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