Washington D.C., USA - May 19, 2024

Storyline:
George Washington University students in the United States rallied outside the university's commencement event on Sunday to show support for the embattled Palestinians in Gaza.

The student protest is an extension of the student encampments and protests that swept across the United States for weeks.

The George Washington University students are the same coalition of Washington DC students who set up an encampment on the George Washington University campus a few weeks ago in solidarity with colleges nationwide calling on their administrations to disclose their ties to Israeli research institutions and companies and fully divest.

Although the George Washington University encampment was dismantled by police almost two weeks ago, and nearly three dozen students were arrested, they said they would not stop the protests while Gaza remains under bombardment.

While disclosure and divestment discussions are ongoing between student leaders and administration officials, these graduating students said they would continue to protest the injustices of Israel's conflict in Gaza that has killed over 35,000 people.

As the academic year comes to a close, these students said they would continue to show up for Palestine no matter the consequences from university or city officials.

Shotlist:
Washington D.C., USA - May 19, 2024:
1. Various of entry to commencement ceremony of George Washington University, students;
2. Various of pro-Palestinian protest in progress;
3. SOUNDBITE (English) protesting student (no name given):
"We will not stop until GW, Georgetown, UMD, Gallaudet, American and every other university in the DMV divests and takes responsibility for this ongoing genocide that they directly fund."
4. Various of camps, protesting students;
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Kali Sen, member of Student Coalition for Palestine at George Washington University:
"What we know is there's been 97 professors killed in Gaza. There are no universities left there, so for our university which is invested in companies like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, which fund genocide in Gaza, we can't be here and not protest this commencement because our graduation's being funded with dollars that are used to destroy universities there."
6. Various of pro-Palestinian protest in progress;
7. Banner reading (English) "35,000+DEAD";
8. SOUNDBITE (English) protesting student (no name given):
"If you look at the history of student protesting, we've never been on the wrong side of it. We go to this university, they teach us to stand up for what's right, they teach us to read the news and then they're mad when we do something about it."
9. SOUNDBITE (English) protesting student (no name given):
"I have just spent four years at this very, very inaccessible and expensive university learning about justice, learning about injustice, learning about how to fight against injustice, so I think that seeing us and how we're educated, they're calling us revolutionaries. They changed our moniker from the Colonials to the Revolutionaries, and now we're out here, you know, having a student-led revolution, and they're demonizing us."
10. Various of pro-Palestinian protest in progress.

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