Yesterday, student protestors took a stand — or rather, a lay down — in Red Square to make a bold statement against genocide.

The Die-In for Darfur protest was hosted by the UW chapter of the national group STAND. The acronym stands for Students Taking Action Now Darfur, and now the national group associates itself with the Genocide Intervention Network.

STAND: UW, which began four years ago, has previously hosted two Die-In for Dafur protests. The group at the UW was formerly known as the Save Darfur Coalition, but decided to associate with STAND last year. The name of the protest, “Die-In for Darfur”, is a play on words said senior and STAND member Joel Cooley. Instead of a ‘stand-in,’ the group hosted a ‘die-in.’

The protestors laid in Red Square as a visual statement to represent the 400,000 genocide victims of the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. The conflict began in 2003.

Cooley is involved in protesting the genocide in Darfur because “we have a moral obligation,” he said.

“The group hopes to raise awareness to the acts being committed by the Janjaweed, a group unofficially supported by the Sudanese government,” he said.

Cooley called the genocide in Darfur “the biggest human rights issue today.”

In 2004, the United States declared the actions in Darfur to be those of a “genocide,” but other members of the United Nations have not followed suit, allowing for the U.N. to escape an obligation to act against the Sudanese government.

In July, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant to the Sudanese president, Umar Hassan Ahmadal-Bashir, having charged him with genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Sudanese government has claimed the court has no control over the Sudanese people and refuses to hand over the president and others within the country charged to it.

Tables were set up in Red Square under a canopy, offering those who did not wish to participate in the protest the option of getting involved.

“It’ll only take 10 seconds out of your day,” senior Kiri Sparks said, urging people to promote awareness.

Efforts included writing postcards to the president, signing a letter, or calling 1-800-GENOCIDE, which allowed the caller to be connected with local representatives and offer talking points about current legislation dealing with genocide in Darfur. The group was also taking donations for Doctors Without Borders.

STAND is additionally planning the STAND Fast fundraiser Dec. 3, which will allow participants to fast for one day from luxury items such as a cup of coffee. They will donate the saved money to STAND, which will then donate the proceeds to Doctors Without Borders, said senior Erin Sayers.

Students either donned trash bags on their legs or laid them down on the slick bricks to keep themselves partially dry during the wet and windy afternoon, though the rain did not keep other students from pausing and reading the signs pinned to the “dead.”

“It’s definitely getting attention,” freshman Wei-Ting Lu said, stopping to read the facts about the continuing genocide in Darfur.

Reach contributing writer Ella Williams at development@dailyuw.com.