Liz Mantush & Kaitlyn Hughes | staff writer & news editor

Red and blue lights flooded Devonshire Street in Shady Side.

The sound of a drum echoed through the residential neighborhood.

A group of protesters clad in red and green with Keffiyehs wrapped around their bodies shouted “decease, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.”

Waving signs showing University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Joan Gabel with blood on her hands and text that read “Genocide Joan,” the group grew louder as they approached Gabel’s home.

About 100 people gathered on Saturday to protest against Pitt’s investment in Israeli companies, according to the Students for Justice in Palestine’s Instagram account. This is the organization’s first protest after a federal judge in August overturned their suspension by Pitt.

The protest occurred during the Global Weekend of Action, organized Palestinian Civil Society to disrupt complicity at institutions and companies.

Additionally, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip days before the protest on Sept. 16.

6:30 p.m.

Protesters of all ages arrived at Schenley Plaza to show their support for Gaza by waving Palestinian flags and holding signs that read “Let Gaza Live” and “Pittsburgh for Free Palestine.”

Pitt alumnus Jonas Caballero, who was involved in the SJP during his time at the university, said he came out to the protest because he could not be silent about the matter.

“When Pitt SJP put out the call, I knew I had to be here,” he said.

Caballero said he believes Pitt is complacent in genocide due to financial contributions.

Pitt’s Consolidated Endowment fund, which supports scholarships, fellowships, faculty chairs and other programs, is invested in the MSCI EAFE Index, which is a market index consisting of top performing companies from 21 developed nations including Israel. As of Sept. 11, the three Israeli companies in the fund include Bank Leumi LE Israel, Bank Hapoalim BM and Teva Pharmaceutical, according to Seeking Alpha.

A spokesperson for Pitt declined to comment on the matter.

As a member of the Pittsburgh Palestine Coalition, Caballero also attends weekly protests at Trader Joe’s stores throughout the Pittsburgh area. He said he thinks that protests are working because onlookers will consistently ask how they can join in on the movement.

On Sunday, protesters in Pittsburgh took to the three rivers in kayaks and Palestinian flags to show solidarity with the Sumud Freedom Flotilla. This is a group of 50 ships moving to Gaza from Catania, Italy, carrying baby formula, water, diapers, medical supplies and other essentials to the people of Palestine, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s website.

“It’s clear that people are supportive and want to do more,” Caballero said. “Pittsburgh stands in solidarity with Palestine.”

Mel Packer, who also came out to protest on Saturday, agreed.

“It’s been really obvious that there’s been a shift in public opinion,” he said.

Before the protest, Packer hosted a yard sale and sold olive oil imported from the West Bank, pro-Palestinian t-shirts and stickers.

He raised around $12,000, which he donated to help people in Palestine.

“You protest to involve other people,” he said. “If people see that happening, they say ‘You know what? I should be doing that.’”

As the group stood in the plaza, chants rang throughout the heart of Pitt’s campus.

“Free free free Palestine”

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

“The people united will never be defeated.”

As the crowd repeated the phrases, Matan Rieger, a Pitt student, stood with an Israeli flag draped around his shoulders and held a picture of Omer Neutra, a hostage who was killed fighting Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Israeli Defense Forces.

Rieger showed up at the protest to remind people that there were still hostages and bodies being held by Hamas.

“I think it’s important we represent people on both sides,” he said.

7:04 p.m.

The group of protesters began to flood onto Forbes Avenue, blocking traffic as four Pittsburgh Police vehicles trailed behind them. Police on motorcycles buzzed on and off the sidewalks to keep up with the demonstrators while additional police officers walked alongside them.

Protesters approached Carnegie Mellon University and turned left onto Morewood Avenue as CMU students watched from their dorms, clapping as the protesters walked by.

7:32 p.m.

The group veered off onto Devonshire Street in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood to protest in front of the Chancellor’s Residence.

They spoke about university policies concerning the conflict in Gaza and the overturned suspension of the SJP.

As they occupied the Shadyside street, residents of the community walked through. One man began yelling at the protesters, telling them to go somewhere else. A protester yelled expletives back at him. Police diffused the situation immediately.

Mairin Landis, a former Duquesne student, met the group outside of Gabel’s home. Landis said she believes the impact of standing together as a group makes more of a difference than one person ever could. She said she believed in the group’s call to divest funds from Israel.

“It’s important to know where your money is going,” she said.

8:10 p.m.

After 50 minutes of chanting and speaking in front of Gabel’s house, the protest made its way back down Fifth Avenue.

As they approached the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard, the pro-Palestinian advocates arranged themselves in a circle, completely covering the road until 8:49 p.m. to listen to testimonies from speakers about their activism journeys.

The crowd then dispersed peacefully.

Liz Mantush can be reached at mantushe@duq.edu

Kaitlyn Hughes can be reached at hughesk10@duq.edu