Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at UC Berkeley demand action from university
BERKELEY -- More than a hundred demonstrators camped on the Cal campus on Thursday continued their demands for a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment action by the university.
Malak Afaneh, a law student at the University of California and the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, was among over a hundred pro-Palestinian protesters who have set up camp outside Sproul Hall on the Berkeley campus. Their message is clear.
"It is absolutely ridiculous that the university that prides itself on diversity, equity and inclusion refuses to stand on the side of justice and divest," Afaneh said.
This Thursday marks the fourth day of their demonstration. The group has outlined some key demands.
"One -- that UC Berkeley ends their silence. They categorize what's happening in Palestine as a genocide. They have failed to do so. The second is complete UC financial divestment from any entity complicit with apartheid, especially weapons manufacturing companies," Afaneh explained.
Yousuf Abubakr, a mechanical engineering student at Cal, supports the protest by assisting with logistics.
"I feel like, if all of us experience -- students, citizens of this country -- experience even a fraction of the pain, the fear, the violence that Palestinians live under day by day, especially in Rafah, all of us would be out here," Abubakr said.
University officials say they are observing the demonstration but there have been no disruptions of university operations.
"We are working with the trustees and with the university system as it relates to our public role and responsibility. We want to maintain people's right to protests, same time, do so peacefully without any hate. We don't want any more, I just want to avoid a lot of what we're seeing in other parts of the country," Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday.
According to Afaneh, at least 100 students have been camping out since the latest demonstration began and they say they're not planning to leave until they see results.
"I try to do my part right now and have the university acknowledge their complicity in the genocide. Every day that they're not acknowledging this is a problem," Abubakr said.
"I'm optimistic that we will achieve our goal of divestment. We're willing to risk suspension, expulsion and arrest until we do and we're not going anywhere," Afaneh added.
