LOGAN, Utah — Echoing similar events at the University of Utah, pro-Palestinian protests have been organized on the campus of Utah State University in Logan.
On Wednesday, about 50 protesters, mainly students, gathered on the quad at the USU campus for a peaceful protest scheduled to take place over the next three days.
The protest was organized by four students who formed the "usuforpalestine" Instagram page.
"We wanted to show that there are people that care, there are people that care about this community. There are people that care about our Palestinian Utahns," said Kris Carpenter, a co-organizer for the protest.
Carpenter is a senior at Utah State University.
A series of speakers spoke at the event, including some who will read the names of those who have died during the Israel-Hamas war. The small group then walked around the quad with signs and performing chants in hopes of getting their message to others.
"We have those demands for a free Palestine and for a cease fire and things like that and we also want to show that, we are peaceful," said Carpenter.
School officials have imposed a time, place, and manner restriction on structures and overnight events in the quad, and plan to enforce that restriction. They said the student organizers reached out to the USU Public Safety Department and actively engaged in regards to school policies and their plans.
School officials also told FOX 13 News on Wednesday that USU has been closely watching the events taking place on university campuses across the country and at their sister institution, the University of Utah.
While a heavy police presence was seen at the University of Utah earlier this week, no police were visible during the protest at USU on Wednesday.
More speakers are scheduled for Wednesday evening, including a local high school student who claims he has lost about two dozen of his family members in Gaza since Hamas launched a deadly, unprovoked surprise attack on Israel in October.
"My uncles family and his children, his three daughters, my aunts family all her children, all below the ages of 12 years old, and my great aunts family were in an airstrike, all 25 of them died," claimed Mahmoud Ghabayen.
It was one reason Ghabayen turned out for the protest on Wednesday. He told FOX 13 News that he has been writing speeches about why he has been representing Palestine for the past seven months.
"The situation in Gaza is so extreme right now," said Ghabayen.
While the protest was made up mostly of students in support of Palestinians, a handful of members from Logan's Jewish community also turned out for the event.
"I wasn't really coming to listen, I anticipated what they were going to say and from what I heard, it was confirmed," said Steve, a member of the Jewish community. "So I was here to give, to be a witness and to give a kind of testimony, as a Jew."
Steve and Ona have lived in Logan for 40 years. They recently returned to Utah after volunteering in Israel.
While they weren't in support of the protest, their hope was simple.
"I hope that students here, the ones that do come ask perceptive questions," Ona said.
For Ghabayen, he shared his story at the protest on Wednesday, emphasizing the importance of having conversations.
"I really do think that talking about the issue, whether whatever you believe on the issue, talking about it will
Utah State President Elizabeth Cantwell shared a message Wednesday of support for free expression and its important role in the educational experience.
