BAR HARBOR—Since Sunday, April 28, approximately 75 students have set up an encampment on the lawn of the College of the Atlantic (COA) to show solidarity with the people of Palestine.
On Tuesday afternoon, an unidentified student protester said that participating students are standing in solidarity with other pro-Palestine student demonstrators around the world. Many of those demonstrations aim to promote an end to the war in Gaza and divestiture from Israel or businesses that profit from the invasion.
There is currently no academic strike or defined end date for the encampment.
The Bar Harbor Story released an article about the encampment on Tuesday, which included a statement from COA President Darron Collins.
“Since the founding days of College of the Atlantic, peaceful protest has been a cornerstone of human ecology; thus, it is no surprise that students are leading the charge here to engage in an encampment. The COA administration wholeheartedly supports our students’ rights to engage in this act of protest and free speech,” Collins said.
Collins asked several things of the demonstrators, including that they work to ensure public health and safety; make sure to complete their coursework before the end of school; and avoid hate speech or threats to others’ identities.
The college’s spokesperson said a follow-up statement is expected on Thursday.
The students involved in the demonstration met Tuesday night and issued an official statement on Wednesday afternoon.
They have presented several demands to COA officials, including that the school continue to protect the community’s right to freedom of speech and to protest indefinitely; publicly denounce “the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people”; disclose their investments; and prioritize divestment from firms “profiting” from the conflict in Palestine.
COA is a private college, founded in 1969, and has a typical undergraduate enrollment of approximately 350 students on its 37-acre campus in Bar Harbor. It has a history of divesting from fossil fuels, tobacco, and temporarily from South African-based companies.
This story was originally published by The Bar Harbor Story. To receive regular coverage from the Bar Harbor Story, sign up for a free subscription here.
