Auburn University students and community members staged a memorial for Palestinians and others killed during the Israel-Hamas war Monday evening at Toomer’s Corner. The demonstration comes a day after a small protest which ended in a violent altercation and one year after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack in Israel, which left over 1,000 people dead and hundreds kidnapped by the terrorist organization.
The memorial vigil was organized by Auburnstudents4Palestine, the same group that promoted the Oct. 6 protest at Toomer’s Corner. In an announcement posted to Instagram on Oct. 5, the group said the memorial would be held “for the martyrs of Palestine, Lebanon and for Americans who have lost their lives to Israeli aggression since 10/7.”
The same group posted Monday afternoon in response to the protest the day before.
“Washable sidewalk chalk is not vandalism nor is it against policy,” the post reads. The same statement also characterized The Auburn Plainsman’s reportage of the protest and Israel-Hamas conflict as “lying, unprofessional, inaccurate and downright biased.”
Israel’s campaign against Hamas following the Oct. 7 attacks has left at least 41,000 Palestinians dead and much of the Gaza Strip destroyed. The war has led to the displacement of over 1.9 million Palestinians with no clear end in sight. Hamas, which is widely recognized as a terrorist organization, has fired thousands of rockets at Israel, displacing over 60,000 Israelis since Oct. 7.
University security officials remained prominent all day Oct. 7, with numerous security personnel taking shifts at and around Toomer’s Corner. Auburn University police officers remained for the entirety of the vigil, which was scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m.
Demonstrators did not arrive at Toomer’s Corner until around 6 p.m., which reached 15 participants at its height. Stephen McGentry, the protester who was involved in an altercation with an unnamed man following the art takeover on Oct. 6, was in attendance.
Those participating in the demonstration sat quietly and talked among themselves, with some creating artwork and others lighting vigil candles. Onlookers cheered for and yelled at those participating, with some onlookers choosing to closely interact with the demonstrators.
Demonstrators held signs with pro-Palestine and anti-Israel sentiments.
One person walked by and yelled to the demonstrators that they were terrorists after asking them questions about their signs. The individual did not respond when one demonstrator yelled back asking who they were terrorizing.
McGentry joined the group at approximately 6:22 p.m. and was met with cheers, embraces and handshakes by the other demonstrators.
“I'm happy to be back, regardless of the circumstances. You know, they posted about the vigil shortly after they posted about the art takeover, and so, I planned to come to both,” McGentry said. “After the incident that happened over by Toomer’s Drugs, I figured, well now, I definitely have to come back, you know? I mean, mama didn’t raise no quitter.”
McGentry stated that their fight wasn’t over, as according to him, 80% of Gaza has been wiped off the map. According to a September 2024 report by the United Nations Satellite Centre, approximately 66% of the total structures in Gaza have been demolished, and The Auburn Plainsman is unable to find figures that match McGentry’s.
“I got my head smashed in and that’s fine, but that’s not going to deter me from what I know is right, and it wouldn’t be fair to a single Palestinian, especially with the comfortable ease of protesting in America,” McGentry said.
McGentry also said he doesn’t want an apology from the unnamed man. Instead, he hopes the man uses the experience as a chance to reflect on why the two became physically violent and to learn more about Palestine. Regardless, he said he feels safe in the presence of his community.
“What I want to say is most people that I saw that were coming to me and getting in my face and getting upset with me are my own people. Look, I’m as white bread as they come, period,” McGentry said. “I am a white redneck from Alabama, and it makes me sad to see my own people being brainwashed by the American media, who is covering for Israeli aggression, to see them take and hear it at face value.”
Unlike the event Sunday evening, there were very little spectators throughout the demonstration, which had no chalk drawings as well. Toward the end of gathering, McGentry spoke to the group and shared a poem written by a Palestinian-American friend.
"Inshallah, Palestine will be free in our lifetime,” McGentry shouted to the group of demonstrators at around 7:30 p.m., before leading them in a yell of “Free Palestine.”
The demonstrators began to disperse shortly afterward, some 30 minutes after the event’s planned end.
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Connor Copeland, sophomore in English literature and philosophy, has been with The Auburn Plainsman since fall 2023.
Michaela Yielding is a senior in journalism currently serving as the news editor. She has been with The Auburn Plainsman since fall 2023.
