SAN DIEGO - Over 1,000 demonstrators marched at UC San Diego on May 8 to show continued support for the people of Gaza and to condemn school administration after the arrests of dozens earlier this week as a pro-Palestinian camp was cleared.
Calls for a walkout from classes, followed by a protest on Sungod Lawn, went forward Wednesday, with protesters again demanding the school cut ties with Israel.
But after Monday’s clearing of a pro-Palestinian encampment and the arrests of 65 people, protesters are now calling for Chancellor Pradeep Khosla’s resignation, and some members of UCSD’s faculty are echoing those sentiments.
About 200 of UCSD’s 3,800 faculty members signed a statement saying they “were shocked and outraged by UCSD’s decision to send riot police to arrest protesters on May 6. The militarized response has only chilled free speech, escalated tensions, reduced safety on campus, and destroyed the trust needed for negotiations and shared governance.”
More than 450 graduate students signed a statement saying that “the decision to characterize the protest as non-peaceful and to deploy law enforcement to forcefully clear the encampment is an egregious violation of the principles of justice, equity, and freedom of expression that our institution claims to uphold.”
Khosla said the encampment violated campus policy and the law and grew to pose “an unacceptable risk to the safety of the campus community.'’
Protests supporting Gaza have arisen on campuses nationwide as Israel retaliates for the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas terrorists, which killed more than 1,000 people. In striking back, Israeli forces have killed more than 34,000 in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which is run by Hamas.
Of those arrested at UCSD, 40 were students, who were placed on interim suspension.
The arrests prompted a large group of protesters to gather Monday outside the San Diego Central Jail downtown, chanting for the protesters’ release.
UC San Diego police said those arrested Monday have all been released. It is uncertain whether any will face prosecution, but the San Diego City Attorney’s Office says the cases are under review.
The San Diego Faculty Association asked that the suspensions be lifted and any potential pursuit of criminal charges be halted.
In early March, UC San Diego’s Associated Students passed a resolution calling for divestment, which the university opposed. In a March 7 statement, the university said “the resolution does not align with the position of UC San Diego, which like the University of California and the other nine UC campuses, has consistently opposed calls for a boycott against and divestment from Israel.”
