Abigail Hebert

On Tuesday afternoon, Bowdoin Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) held a rally outside of Moulton Union to gather support for the eight students who were temporarily suspended for their involvement in the Smith Union encampment. Four students spoke to the crowd that gathered to demand amnesty for their suspended peers and continue on-campus support for Palestine.

“[Those eight students] were standing on conviction that Bowdoin wanted us and educated us to have. We learned in our classes that civil disobedience is what furthers movements. Bowdoin is slow to change and slow to care,” Jenna Barac ’25 said at the rally. “After my experience, I do not trust Bowdoin…. I do not trust Bowdoin to protect its students.”

Barac attested to the sense of community built within and around the encampment, explaining that on February 6, when the encampment began, students were singing, playing card games, making art together and setting up a community library. Barac emphasized the importance of solidarity in this movement.

“If I could tell you just one thing that I learned while I was in the encampment, it’s that solidarity is a verb.… Solidarity is calling out injustice. Solidarity is speaking out for a cause. Solidarity is mobilizing with your community,” Barac said. “Solidarity is about fighting for the rights of other human beings, because, if they take their rights away, what makes you think they won’t take yours next?”

Barac ended her speech with a call to action, urging the rally participants to continue to support each other as they fight for their cause.

“We need to build solidarity together as Bowdoin students and support networks across coalitions and groups on this campus. The students united will never be defeated,” Barac said.

Zomorria Eugene ’26 also spoke, centering her words on the administration’s response to the encampment.

“Deflection is a powerful tool mastered by the powers that be. Its goal is to redirect from challenging conversations and, often, to avoid taking accountability,” Eugene said.

Eugene criticized Senior Vice President and Dean for Student Affairs Jim Hoppe and President Safa Zaki for sending messages that would “sow division amongst the community against our encampment.”

“Deflection is asking [Associate Vice President of Safety and Security] Randy Nichols why he won’t open the doors and he responds, ‘I don’t have to tell you why,’” Eugene said. “Deflection is admin’s focus on ‘how’ we protested and not ‘why’ we protested.”

Eugene ended her speech calling upon the College to rescind the eight suspensions.

“To Bowdoin, this is your test. Live by the common good, and show you care for your students. [Give] total amnesty to all students and actually be the change you speak of, or fall in line with the fascists,” Eugene said. “What is your identity? Be a Bowdoin that we all want to belong to.”

In an interview with the Orient at the rally, Rosie Paul, a Brunswick resident and peace activist from PeaceWorks Brunswick, said that she has attended SJP’s rallies since last year and hopes that the Maine community will continue to support initiatives to fight for Palestine.

“Of course, the Gaza genocide is something that the peace community is desperate about, and from our point of view, it’s shocking that the group standing up and speaking out is so small in the public,” Paul said.

After the speeches, the rally transitioned to chants led by organizers calling for a free Palestine and amnesty on behalf of the eight students suspended.

“We will not abandon our peers. We will not abandon Palestine. We will not abandon our friends. We will not abandon our people…. We will not abandon the West Bank,” the crowd chanted.

Editor’s Note on February 21 at 10:30 a.m.: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the encampment began on February 7. It has been updated to reflect that the encampment actually began on Thursday, February 6.