‘Should be places of dialogue and debate’

Demonstrations on UNLV’S campus are part of nationwide campus protests over Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. In response to that invasion, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas. Israeli strikes have killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza, according to the Hamasrun Health Ministry. The ministry doesn’t distinguish civilian deaths from the deaths of terrorist combatants.

Chris Wang, a Las Vegas educator and community organizer who has been a strong pro-palestine advocate, said many Nevadans have major concerns about the U.S. funding the Israeli war in Gaza. Community advocates have called for an immediate and permanent cease-fire in Gaza and the return of displaced people to their homes.

In contrast to some of the larger protests that have roiled university campuses across the country and resulted in many arrests, UNLV’S protests so far have been peaceful, with both sides at most exchanging heated words.

That said, some Jewish students at UNLV said during a rally against antisemitism on Monday that they feel the university hasn’t done enough to stem antisemitic behavior and rhetoric from some on campus, including from some of the pro-palestinian protesters, in the months since Oct. 7.

Jolie Brislin, the regional director of the Anti-defamation League’s Desert Region, which includes Nevada and Arizona, said language surrounding genocide, apartheid and occupation that portrays one group as entirely evil is antisemitic. They invoke fear and intimidation, and while constructive criticism of Israel is not antisemitic, “delegitimizing, demonizing, and holding Israel to double standards are antisemitic,” Brislin said.

“College campuses should be places of dialogue and debate, not places to demonize,” Brislin said in a text message. “This language creates a false binary where one group is portrayed as entirely evil and the other as victimized. This fosters an environment where antisemitism can flourish.”