Afternoon Briefing: Protests continue for second day at Northwestern

Good afternoon, Chicago.

Pro-Palestinian protests continued for a second day today at Northwestern’s Evanston campus, with hundreds of students and faculty — many of whom spent the night in tents — pressuring the university to divest from funds connected to Israel or those that profit from its war in Gaza.

Students and activists associated with the Northwestern Divestment Coalition started the “Northwestern Liberation Zone” Thursday morning at Deering Meadow, a popular common area on campus. By Friday morning, more than 40 tents covered the encampment — three times as many from the day before — along with a medic tent, kitchen canopy and a handful of lawn chairs. Tour guides led groups of prospective students around the campus in the distance.

Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.

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