Hundreds of UC Santa Barbara students have pitched tents on campus to show support for Palestinians in Gaza – vowing to stay until UCSB meets their demands.
The encampment is part of a series of protests across UC campuses.
Around 200 people have set up camp between North Hall and the library at UCSB. The event was organized by UCSB Liberated Zone, a campus group supporting Gaza.
Marie, a student organizer, requested to be identified by her middle name for safety reasons. She said protesters are urging the university to cut any ties with weapons manufacturers.
“We firmly believe that the widespread murder of the Palestinian people is unacceptable and that no institution should be complicit in such an action,” Marie said.
According to Marie, the university has not addressed students’ demands.
Last week, the UCSB Chancellor’s office issued a statement calling the encampment “unpermitted” and saying it “caused some disruption due to noise.”
The statement also expressed safety concerns about commencement. Marie said Chancellor Henry Yang’s mention of commencement felt like a distraction.
“The feeling was that the statement from Chancellor Yang was ultimately an attempt to create division between the student body,” Marie said.
Marie clarified the encampment is far from where commencement would happen.
“Moving forward, we are willing to work with student groups that wish to protest or express their rights and views peacefully…” the Chancellor’s statement said.
The encampment went up on Wednesday and has been peaceful.
