Over 1,000 protesters marched at UC San Diego Wednesday as a continuation of the ongoing demonstrations in support of the people of Gaza, as well as condemnations of school administration following the arrests of dozens of protesters.
Calls for a walkout from classes, followed by a protest on Sungod Lawn, went forward Wednesday, with protesters again calling for the school to cut ties with Israel.
But following Monday’s clearing of an encampment erected by pro-Palestinian protesters 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.”
Of those arrested, 40 were UCSD students, who were placed on interim suspension.
The arrests prompted a large group of protesters to gather Monday outside the San Diego Central Jail in downtown, who chanted for the protesters’ release.
UC San Diego police said those arrested Monday have all been released from custody. It is uncertain whether any of those arrested will face criminal 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.”