Pro-Palestinian protesters block road near UC San Diego
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked a road into UC San Diego Wednesday afternoon as tensions continue to rise between student activists and administration over its dismantling of the “Gaza Solidarity” encampment earlier this month.
Holding a massive Palestinian flag, a couple hundred demonstrators, including students and faculty, walked from the campus’ Sun God Lawn to Gillman Drive where they gathered along the median and the northbound side of the road around 1 p.m.
They were there for only a short time before walking back towards Sun God Lawn.
The demonstration was, in part, to observe the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, or “catastrophe.” The Nakba, which began unfolding in May 1948 and continued through the first Arab-Israeli war, refers to the dispossession of Palestinians from their land after Israel was declared a state.
According to historians, about 750,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes during the Nakba, many of whom were never able to return.
The students also continued to echo the demands of those who participated in the “Gaza Solidarity” encampment, including calling on the university’s to divest from Israel and support an immediate cease-fire in the fighting — something they describe as an unfolding genocide.
“Students are frustrated that our chancellor green-lit what happened to our students on Monday, May 6th. That they allowed such brutality,” said one student at the protest, who asked to remain unnamed. “That should have never happened.”
While the demonstrators marched through campus towards Gillman Drive, FOX 5/KUSI observed some counter-protesters, who were there for a “Peace in Israel” demonstration, along the route, but interactions between the groups were minimal beyond some back and forth shouting.
The counter-protesters chanted back slogans about the some 100 hostages who remain in Gaza after the initial Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants.
Both protests remained peaceful throughout the entirety of the afternoon. Some police officers were on scene while the demonstrators were along Gillman Drive, but they did not engage with the protestors. Police vehicles were seen cordoning off the roadway to motorists.
In a statement to FOX 5/KUSI, UCSD administration said that the juxtaposing demonstrations do not reflect the views of the university, but they do support their right to free speech:
“Tritons for Israel is hosting a variety of events as part of their ‘Peace in Israel Week’ activities, which are held each year and follow ‘Justice in Palestine Week’ activities, which are organized by the Muslim Student Association. While the ideas and thoughts expressed during these various activities may not reflect the views of UC San Diego, the campus supports the right to free speech, which is one of the cornerstones of our university. We encourage and promote civility and respect in every exchange in accordance with our Principles of Community and remain fully committed to protecting the physical safety of all individuals in our community.”
Nonetheless, the administration has come under scrutiny by members of the campus community for its handling of the “Gaza Solidarity” encampment, which resulted in the arrest of 40 students and 24 additional people whose connection to the university was not immediately confirmed.
Faculty, students and alumni began calling for UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla to resign from his position shortly after the encampment was dismantled last Monday.
One of the first calls came from the faculty of UCSD’s Ethnic Studies department Monday in a post that was re-shared on Instagram Wednesday afternoon.
“Hostile actions by the administration and the police they ordered onto campus caused disastrous upheaval, including physical injuries and an authoritarian fracturing of peaceful student organizing and community,” the statement said.
It added, “The deployment of police, including snipers on top of the Student Health Building, was a shocking abdication of the Chancellor’s mandate to support and protect our students.”
In the days since, a number of other groups have come out of the woodwork to call on Khosla’s resignation over his response to the pro-Palestinian encampment. A petition pushing for this that is circulating on Change.org has garnered over 6,800 signatures since last Monday.
Other faculty groups have similarly condemned the actions taken by UCSD’s administration. In a statement, the San Diego Faculty Association said they were “shocked and outraged” by the decision to bring in police to dismantle the encampment.
“The militarized response created an unsafe space on campus,” they wrote. “The militarized response has only chilled free speech, escalated tensions, reduced safety on campus, and destroyed the trust needed for negotiations and shared governance.”
Since mid-April, college campuses like UCSD have become a flashpoint in a larger reckoning over U.S. involvement in Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, stirring debates about free speech, protest, antisemitism and Islamaphobia.
“Students drive change,” one UCSD student told FOX 5/KUSI on Wednesday of the movement.
Opponents of the protests, including some Jewish students and alumni, have argued that the antiwar demonstrations veer into displays of antisemitism, instilling what they describe as a sense of fear in members of the campus community supportive of Israel.
The vast majority of these antiwar demonstrations have been peaceful, although a handful of them have escalated — similarly to what was seen at UCSD last week.
Pro-Palestinian protesters occupy building, create encampment at UC Irvine
Hundreds of students and faculty at universities across the country have been arrested. Meanwhile, dozens of people have reportedly sustained injuries in clashes that came out of these encampments, including from police attempts to clear the campsites and, in at least one instance at UC Los Angeles, clashes with pro-Israel counter-protestors.
Another encampment, located at UC Irvine, also escalated during a “Nakba Day” demonstration Wednesday after protestors extended their site to take over the campus’ Physical Sciences Lecture Hall.
Several protestors were seen being taken into custody by KTLA’s helicopter, who was overhead for several hours.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
