Fayetteville High School students walk out in solidarity with Palestine

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Some Fayetteville High School students walked out during the Pledge of Allegiance on Thursday morning in solidarity with Palestine.

Students walked from Fayetteville High School to the Walton Arts Center. Ambrose Henriksen, a freshman at Fayetteville, organized the walkout.

“Our goal is to spread awareness and stand with the people of Palestine. We stand with the people of Palestine, for their freedom, for their children. We will not stand idle in genocide,” said the lead organizer in a news release to KNWA/FOX24.

Henriksen says he was inspired by recent college protests and has studied activist groups like the Black Panthers and Chicago Seven. He says quote “We will not stand idle in genocide.”

“I always wanted to walk out but no one was doing it so I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to do it.’ I have to, I owe it to those kids in Palestine who are dying every day,” Henriksen said.

KNWA/FOX24 reached out to Alan Wilbourn with the Fayetteville School District.

He tells us the district has no comment as the walkout was not a sanctioned school event and said students who leave campus without permission get an unexcused absence.

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