UC San Diego’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organized a series of walkouts over the past month to express their support for the people of Palestine throughout the recent escalating conflict in the Middle East. This comes in response to the ongoing conflict happening in the Gaza Strip, primarily, after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
At 5:00 p.m. on November 1, SJP held a walkout in which hundreds of participants united and marched through campus. Throughout the demonstration, spirits were high. The group commenced the demonstration at Sun God Lawn, progressed to Geisel, and eventually concluded inside Price Center.
Hundreds of protestors made their collective chants audible all across campus, exclaiming “Chancellor Khosla, you can’t hide! You are funding genocide!” and “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!” The latter chant, referring to the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, has been debated heavily. Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian Democratic Representative, has described the words as “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence” between Israeli and Palestinian peoples. However, in a 234-188 vote, the House of Representatives found the chant to be a genocidal call that stands for violence, so they censured Tlaib. Similarly, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) believes that the phrase demands an eradication of the state of Israel in order to achieve a total Arab-Palestinian state on the West Bank.
Hani Elhanafy, a fourth year Neurobiology major, told The Triton, “The objective of this movement is to bring awareness to everyone and to encourage people to advocate for justice in Palestine, and the freedom of the Gazan people specifically if not all Palestinian people. I think everyone here is in some way shape or form affected by what’s going on in that area. We’re all just here doing our part.”
When asked what he wanted his fellow student body to know in order to accomplish real change for those affected in the Middle East, Elhanafy replied, “Encourage everyone they know to advocate for peace overall in the world, and also to advocate for peace in Palestine. This has been going on for decades, and I think everyone in that area is entitled to freedom and peace. We are not here to condemn any people, we’re just here advocating for peace in Palestine.” When asked his thoughts on the Israeli vigils, Elhanafy declined to comment.
Another student who asked to remain anonymous shared, “Even though there’s a lot of people talking about the conflict, there’s not enough. In a capitalist economy, the way we can help people in the Middle East is by boycotting certain companies and increasing the imports to Gaza and decreasing the imports to Israel.”
Protestors were not only expressing indignation for the current war on the Gaza Strip, however. Students banded together to retaliate against the manner in which UCSD has handled the ongoing conflict, as many disagree with Chancellor Kholsa’s two recent emails in which he condemns antisemitism. When asked if UCSD has enough educational and supportive resources for students during this time, a student who asked to remain anonymous remarked, “I don’t think UCSD amplifies Muslim voices enough throughout the campus. I think it over exacerbates some points of view and underrepresents other views, and if UCSD wants to talk about being for indigenous people, then they can’t be hypocrites and should represent everyone, not just the indigenous people they feel it’s convenient for them to represent.”
They continued on to comment, “I joined this walkout personally because I’m Muslim and I believe it’s my duty as a student and Muslim at UCSD to stand up for our voices and make sure our opinion is heard. I am a part of the Pakistani Student Association, because I’m Pakistani, and I will always stand for my Muslim brotherhood and sisterhood.”
On November 9, demonstrators gathered again to hold two walkouts in support of Palestine. At 12:00 p.m., UCSD medical students, residents, faculty, and staff gathered in the Medical Education and Telemedicine courtyard for a walkout organized by Healthcare Workers for Palestine.
Wael Al-Delaimy, a professor of Global Health in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, read a poem titled “My name is Muhammad” from the perspective of a Palestinian child.
“Awakened from my deep sleep, I’m trapped under the concrete,” Al-Delaimy read. “I never understand all this stuff, but I was bombed twice. Is killing more than 10,000 people a month a good price?” he continued.
At about 12:30 p.m., the healthcare walkout coincided with another walkout outside the Sally T. WongAvery Library. Organized by SJP, the second walkout consisted primarily of undergraduate students standing in solidarity with Palestinians.
After several speeches, the demonstrators marched throughout campus shouting “Louder, louder, say it more, not a conflict, not a war!” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, the occupation has got to go!”
While passing Starbucks at Price Center, demonstrators chanted “Starbucks, Starbucks, you can’t hide! You make drinks for genocide!” The backlash comes after Starbucks sued the Starbucks Workers United union for trademark infringement following a pro-Palestine social media post, which many perceived to indicate Starbucks’ support for Israel.
Demonstrators ended their march by dropping a banner from the fifth floor terrace of the Ridge Walk Academic Complex that read “Murdering 5000+ children is not self defense #FreePalestine.”
Among those who walked out was Steven C., a medical student, who asked to not be identified by last name. He expressed disappointment with Chancellor Pradeep Khosla’s recent statements which he said “don’t prioritize the safety, the families, and the well-being of their Palestinian students.”
“We can’t have the University taking a side and taking a side of genocide against its own students,” Steven stated.
Orelia Oiknine is a News Writer for The Triton. Liam Winstead is the Managing Editor for The Triton.