About 200 Assemble on Bar Harbor Village Green
MAY 15, 2024
BAR HARBOR—Just over 200 people peacefully marched from the College of the Atlantic to Bar Harbor’s Village Green this afternoon to show solidarity with the Palestinian people
Students from the College of the Atlantic organized the event, which included students, professors, and those not affiliated with the college. The March went from Eden Street (Route 3) up West Street, Holland Street, Cottage Street, and Rodick Street before ending at the Village Green where speakers spoke of divestiture of the college’s assets as well as solidarity with Palestinians. Speakers quoted poetry, including some by Palestinian poet and spoken word artist Rafeef Ziadah, called for awareness and empathy, to hold space for Palestine and its people, as well as singing a Back Street Boys song’s whose lyrics were changed for a call for a cease fire.
“To call for a free Palestine,” one speaker said, “is to call for a free Turtle Island.”
Speakers also mentioned the Nekba (Nakba), which was the mass expulsion of Palestinians from what is now Israel from 1947-1949.
A press release from the students involved stated, “On this anniversary students of the COA will go on strike from their work, meetings, and classes, marching through the streets of Bar Harbor to stand in solidarity with Palestine and stand against the ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Palestinian people.”
The march was organized by the Human Ecologists for the Liberation of Palestine (HELP), a student club at College of the Atlantic (COA). HELP is a student initiative that seeks to spread awareness and engage in discussions regarding the injustice the Palestinian people face today.
A fundraising fair follows the event and is also open to the public. Students had previously been encamped on the campus.
All photos/video Shaun Farrar and Carrie Jones/BHS
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