Activists in Oshkosh, WI call for closure of Trump's concentration camps

Oshkosh, WI – On the evening of July 12, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Students for a Democratic Society (UWO SDS) hosted a Lights for Liberty rally, demanding an end to the Trump administration’s detention policy and the closure of the concentration camps, where tens of thousands of immigrants are being held in clear breach of international law. The call to action drew roughly 30 people from Oshkosh and the surrounding Fox Valley area.

The event started with a silent candlelight vigil to help bring awareness to the disastrous conditions in the camps. The action featured 12 different people speaking out about the conditions and the need to continue to act for the people who have lost their lives at these camps.

With the looming dangers of ICE’s taking action and attempting to deport large numbers of people out of the U.S., the need to bring one another together in solidarity with the immigrants was vastly important. In the small city of Oshkosh, UWO SDS stepped up to do just that. The people came together to share a moment and to push for the importance of being united.

“It was important that we accept that we are all human and if we lose the labels and drop the hate we can come together as one,” said SDS leader Lydia Christensen.

This was the first action hosted by the renewed UWO SDS chapter. With recent incidents involving Nazis on campus and the fact that one of the university buildings is named after a Klansman, the group has plenty of work ahead of it.