Thousands of UC San Diego students marched through campus Wednesday to protest the war in Gaza and the university's treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters.
The peaceful demonstration is an indication that students are not giving up their demand that the university divest from companies involved in the war. They also want the university to commit funds to rebuild universities in Gaza, all of which have been severely damaged or destroyed, according to the United Nations.
On Monday, police forcibly dismantled a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus and arrested more than 60 people, 40 of whom were students. Maya, a student organizer who declined to give her last name, condemned the university's crackdown but said the main focus of Wednesday's march was Gaza.
"We have seen thousands more innocent civilians being bombed and being forced out of Gaza, the last place that they were allowed in," she said. "We really want to center this now. This is what started it all — keeping all eyes on Gaza, as this is unlike any war that has been seen."
UC San Diego said the encampment violated the fire code and that a black ninja-style sword was recovered from the site. University spokesperson Matt Nagel said the origins of the sword are under investigation.
Maya, the student organizer, said she knew nothing about the sword, but that the encampment was a peaceful exercise of the students' First Amendment rights.
"We had actually a counterprotest on Sunday with over 150 counterprotesters, but the students were able to maintain an incredibly safe environment, actually created a barrier to ensure that zero instances of violence occurred," Maya said.
The 40 students who were arrested Monday have been placed on "interim suspension" — a period in which they await official disciplinary proceedings, which could result in their expulsion.
The UC San Diego Faculty Association asked that the suspensions be lifted and any potential pursuit of criminal charges be halted.
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."
