On Nov. 11, protestors shouted chants, banged drums and clanked spoons and pans outside of Constitution Hall, hoping to disrupt a conference held inside hosted by the American University Center for Israel Studies.

The conference was titled “Israel at 100: Scenarios for the Future of Israel in 2048.” The event, held from Nov. 10-11, hosted a series of speakers and panels to discuss the issues Israel will face as it approaches its 100-year anniversary in 2048. The Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies, based in the AU College of Arts and Sciences, cosponsored the event with CAS and the Kogod School of Business.

In an Instagram post made in collaboration with the DMV Students for Justice in Palestine Coalition, AU Palestine Solidarity Coalition and the AU chapters of SJP and Jewish Voice for Peace, AU Alums for Palestine said they called on AU to cancel the event.

Every entrance to the Constitution Hall conference room was cordoned off for the event. The one entrance that remained open was blocked by four individuals with AU Police Department badges, three of which were in uniform.

Protestors gathered directly in front of the officers blocking the entrance, some of them inches away from the officers’ faces. Metro Police Department officers stood a few dozen feet away.

When conference-goers passed in view of the protestors, the chanting increased in fervor. Some conference attendees made hand gestures in response to the demonstrators’ extended middle fingers. Some recorded videos on their phones. Others looked away and remained silent.