As Israel’s attack on Palestine passed its 200th day, students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago staged a walkout and rally yesterday to extend their solidarity to the recent pro-Palestinian protests that have swept campuses across the country.

Organized in collaboration with students from Columbia College and Roosevelt University, hundreds of students gathered near the Art Institute of Chicago and ended their rally in Millennium Park.

Slogans such as “Free Free Palestine,” “Long Live Palestine,” and “No Justice. No Peace” were chanted and held by the demonstrators as they demanded that the school be transparent with its funding and not take money from gun manufacturers.

“We demand that they divest now. Until they divest, there will be no business as usual,” said one speaker at the protest. 

The Crown family, which funds several schools in the city, including SAIC, owns a 10 percent stake in General Dynamics, a defense contractor with a history of selling weapons to Israel.

Since Oct. 7, when the attacks began, SAIC students have called on the school to cut ties with the Crown Family because of its involvement in the ongoing genocide.

A student holds a megaphone during a protest against the genocide of Palestinian civilians near the School of the Art Institute of Chicago on April 26.

Hundreds of protesters block traffic in front of the Art Institute of Chicago as they call on the museum to divest from companies that supply weapons to Israel.

As student protests have swept the country since Oct. 7, SAIC students have also joined the national movement to show their support for Gaza.

Students show courage and passion by supporting one another in protesting powerful institutions

Several protesters call on the school to be transparent about its funding and to divest from companies involved in the manufacture of weapons.