Protesters at UC Santa Cruz have remained on campus for about 3 weeks. “I am appalled by what Israel is doing to Palestine,” a student said Monday.

@Northwest It sounds like he's objecting to them disrupting people's education to make a point about something the university can't control.

@LordShadowfire
Are the UC Santa Cruz disrupting people's education? Did they go into classrooms, kidnap students' and faculty, dragged then to their tents, and locked them out of their classrooms?

The problem with those "outraged" over those who are "outraged", is that they have no point, just outrage.

@Northwest I guess you're right. The other college students don't deserve to get an education because stuff is happening in Gaza.

@LordShadowfire
Yet you can't point out how "other" college students are not getting an education, because students are protesting. But go on, dig deeper.

@Northwest Oh, I know. Doing things like occupying the library and other buildings leaps to mind. Did you see what they did to the computer monitors in the library at the other college where they were protesting? Can't use one after all that.

Hey, but what do I know?

@LordShadowfire
I notice you're moving the goal posts. The post is about UC Santa Cruz.


Not much really, about the actual topic of the conversation.

@Northwest All the stuff you'd expect. I think we can stipulate a near complete lack of agreement. One of the demands of the protesters you may disagree with, not sure, is that the University cut ties with Hillel. I guess the Hillel war effort has gone too far.

@Northwest I give it a day.

@Bumbles
I have not heard of the UCSC encampment goal of severing the school's relationship with Hilel. The latter is well represented in Santa Cruz,, with an office that I used to be familiar with.

As far as I know, their baseline demand is to divest the school from funds that supply Israel with weapons. I don't think this is achievable, but the bottom line is that they are not preventing students from attending classes.

So, outrage aside, this is Santa Cruz, after all and it's' really up to the students, who are not blocking anyone form learning, to protest away.

@LordShadowfire
Like I said, you should try to get some actual information, but here's my public service: All UC Grad students/workers are now on strike, at a minimum until June 1st, when their contract is up for negotiations.

@Northwest

Can you open this?

https://proofpointisolation.com/browser?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fp%2FC6b9mBCvehy%2F%3Fimg_index%3D3

I cut and copied. Even if you accept anti-zionism isn't antisemitic, opposing Hillel (which does not require being a zionist to be a member) is more problematic and would seem per se antisemitism. Also, other institutes are included in the boycott like the Koret Foundation which is not Israeli. Banning Jews is a particularly sensitive subject as you might imagine. Or, hey, if zionism is in fact genocidal racism then I get it. I don't think UC should permit local KKK chapters, for example.

UCSC SJP - Gaza Solidarity Encampment (Students for Justice in Palestine at University of California, Santa Cruz)
Our Encampment

As we enter over 200 days of genocide where over 40,000 lives in Gaza have been lost and millions have been displaced by the zionist occupation funded by our U.S. tax dollars and our UC tuition, we see the crucial need for students to escalate in our tactics to end the genocide against Gaza and the occupation of Palestine as a whole.

The purpose of our encampment is to recenter and refocus our attention to the genocide in Gaza and the ongoing occupation of Palestine as a whole.We are centering the call for total liberation and freedom of the Palestinian people.

We have a responsibility as people living in the U.S. and as UC students whose tuition is invested into the creation of the very missiles and weapons that are killing Palestinians at this very moment. Nothing should normal during a genocide and we refuse to continue carrying on as if it is. Our demands have been ignored. We will continue to escalate until they are met.

I. Our Demands
DIVEST. We demand complete divestment from weapon-manufacturing companies and research collaborations with weapon manufacturing industries, including passive and active investment in Blackrock. Universities should not funnel money towards US imperialism through investing in BlackRock and BlackStone. Instead, the University should serve and invest in us, the students and workers, who make this institution possible.

DISCLOSE. Provide full transparency to all UC-wide and UCSC Foundation assets including investments, donations, and grants.

COMPLETE ACADEMIC BOYCOTT. Cut ties UC wide with all zionist institutions--- including study abroad programs, fellowships, seminars, research collaborations, and universities. Cut ties with the Helen Diller foundation, Koret foundation, Israel institute, and Hillel International. Comply with BDS, as according to the BDS National Committee, within all University operations. Universities should not be working with universities which are complicit and benefit from genocide.

END ACADEMIC REPRESSION. End the targeted repression and policing of pro-Palestinian advocacy on campus. Reject the IHRA definition of anti-semitism which conflates anti-zionism with anti-semitism. Protect free speech and roll back all academic discipline and/or charges against protestors.

COPS OFF CAMPUS. Stop the mass surveillance and violence against students. Sever all ties with SCPD, no more coordination for state repression! No Public “Safety” Regional Facility in Pogonip! Remove all mass surveillance technology on campus. Student advocacy for basic human rights should not be met with police violence and mass surveillance.

END THE SILENCE. The UC must acknowledge the ongoing genocide of Palestinians since the inception of the zionist state, and call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and an end to the occupation in Palestine.

____________________

It's not clear if the Grad Student strike will hold up grades, which is potentially problematic for seniors. Cancelling graduation seems next, or will be negatively impacted. I know this disruption s the goal, but here especially sad as the seniors had their highschool graduations cancelled because of COVID. I read they are taking remote classes now.

Their strike is unusual because they aren't striking for labor issues, but to protest. UC filed an injunction, but I don't think there's much chance of success.

@Northwest

Here's the Political Points of Unity in the same document. This is going Robespierre pretty quick. The part in quotes seems pretty sympathetic to Hamas. Makes "From the River to the Sea" seem quaint.


Political Points of Unity:
All action and organizing we take and engage in is for, first and foremost, Palestinian liberation. De-center yourself and center Palestine.


We reject any and all collaboration, dialogue, and coalition work with zionist organizations through a strict policy of anti-normalization, and we encourage our comrades to do the same.

Palestinian liberation is interconnected with all struggles against colonial, imperial, racial, patriarchal, and carceral domination. Therefore, the struggle for a liberated Palestine is intertwined with our collective liberation struggle.

We aim to build solidarity with other organizations which struggle alongside us against imperialism, capitalism, war, and genocide in all its forms.

White supremacy is intertwined with zionism, imposing a racial hierarchy and rationalizing colonial violence. We reject racism and white supremacy in all forms.

The very root of zionism, the settler colonial project, is imperialism - the capitalist exploitation of resources and labor of one nation against another to generate wealth at the expense of the exploited.

As a driving force of imperialism and the imperial domination of Palestinians, we assert that capitalism must be abolished. In the face of imperial war violence and exploitation of the land, especially as climate change ravages life on Earth, we the people commit to struggle towards non-capitalist societies.

We assert that all forms of state policing, prisons, and borders must be abolished.

Patriarchy is a function of imperialism, colonization, and capitalism. We are committed to challenging all expressions of patriarchy within occupied Palestine and outside of it.

We support and encourage everyone to BDS (Boycott, Divest, & Sanctions) and see the boycott movement as fundamental. We also see the necessity for escalated direct action in forwarding the struggle for a student intifada.

@Bumbles Wow. False accusations of terrorism? Really? I take it back. There are literally people siding with and glorifying Hamas. I stand corrected.

@LordShadowfire It's certainly mixed. I don't think every protester holds these views, but this is from the organization that has been behind many of the protests i.e., Students for Justice in Palestine at University of California. (Unless it's a forgery, I suppose).

Are we to just ignore the icky stuff, and assume the kids really only mean divestment?

@Bumbles I'm sure it did not escape you that this is the Internet and anyone can write a manifesto at will. This particular manifesto seems to be written by a communist group (their photos show it).

Students for Justice in Palestine is a student organization founded at Berkeley 31 years ago, and recognized by the school. It has since spread to 40 US and Canadian schools.


I'm also sure you figured out that the Palestinian quest for a return to their homeland, predates Oct 7, 2023. You also probably dawned on you that the graduate students' strikes is not related to campus protests, so I still fail to see how protests at UCSC stand in the way of students' academics.

@Northwest I'm not sure how that changes the fact that they are calling anyone who calls October 7th a terrorist attack liars.

@Northwest I'm not sure what does the history of the organization has to do with the issue of whether the protesters are demanding for UC to boycott Hillel. I guess you're denying that is a demand.

Regarding your contention that the strike is unrelated to the protests, this is from the UAW website.

https://www.uaw4811.org/sav-faq

Why are we voting to authorize a strike?
When faced with Palestine Solidarity encampments and other nonviolent protests by Academic Workers, students, and community members, UC has mishandled and escalated the situation by taking unlawful actions that cut to the heart of our collective bargaining agreements. Our union has filed unfair labor practice charges in response. These escalatory and unlawful actions include:

Here is the local president:

https://proofpointisolation.com/browser?url=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2Fuaw_4811%2Fstatus%2F1791512207563583777

“For many months, workers across California have protested the death, destruction, and human suffering in Gaza,” said Rafael Jaime, president of United Auto Workers Local 4811, which represents about 48,000 graduate-level employees across the UC system."

No connection?

@Northwest You dismissed one document as being just a "communist manifesto" so I assume this flyer does not represent a list of demands, either? Hey, I’d prefer if they this group wasn’t calling for a boycott of Hillel.

@Bumbles I did not dismiss anything. You attributed something to an organization. I went to the source and posted their charter. I have no idea who this other group is, and wow, you got it from the Internet, from X no less, perhaps Instagram? Facebook?

You still have not addressed how protesters, whether or not you like their attitude, are prevent students from attending classes.

@Northwest I didn’t receive the flyer from the protesters themselves, so yes, I had to rely on what I found on line. If what I found is a fake, great! I’d appreciate a clarification from the Students for Palestine.

I’d much prefer the protesters not be for a UC boycott of Hillel. I’m glad you would object to such a stance as well. The charter of Students of Palestine isn’t going to address specific demands for one action, so I don’t find that dispositive.

I’m not trying to avoid how the protesters have affected students, even though I think I have done so in a post, but I’ve not asserted that is how I frame the issue. Maybe it’s how you do?

That being said, they are working remotely. The grad students won’t turn in their grades. That is rather disruptive to a student. I know getting credit for classes and graduating from college may seem secondary to being a college student for some, but it’s actually why many are there.

@Bumbles
What you found was something online. What I posted was the original group's charter, and that would be the group that was formed at UC Berkeley in 1993.


I don't know who they are, but you might want to google them, and you will find the Wikipedia entry.


Shockingly, you may find 2 protesters with 30 different opinions. I did not conduct a study, but I'm going to guess that the majority of students, much like those who offer opinions on SW, are much like the blind men and the elephant.

My kid's commencement was this past Sunday. There was a peaceful protest encampment, but there were different opinions from different people and they ranged from the reasonable to the totally stoned out of their minds.

The commencement itself wet without a glitch. Most students had a Palestinian flag in their hand, and handed it to the Provost as they were receiving their diplomas. Some attached a divest message to their robes. My kid opted not to partake, and we had a discussion about it beforehand. The separation between Palestinian rights and an Islamic theocracy (Hamas) was not made clear.


No you did not. Your post is another misguided attempt at "outrage sarcasm". You know, the "kids" have no idea what they're doing. It's not that hard to decode. Which gives me the chuckles. They are kids, protesting. They may be various shades of misguided, but it's not like the "outraged" people aren't acting like the whole issue was birthed on Oct 7, 2023.

And one more time, the graduate students issue, is not related to the UC Santa Cruz protests, and hardly anyone is keeping track of the millions of tweets, claiming an "official" position.

Should we consider Jerry Seinfeld a criminal from now on, because his wife hired a mob, to violently attack a group of protesters at UCLA?