As a Gaza-solidarity encampment at UC Irvine reached day four on Thursday, May 2, protesters at nearby Chapman University in Orange set up their own.
A UC Irvine spokesperson said in the morning there were no updates on whether the university will take further action regarding the protest in light of the overnight dismantling of the encampment at UCLA. A student organizer said a tentative meeting had been set with campus administration for sometime this afternoon.
As of early afternoon Thursday, the situation at UCI appeared to be very calm, the only loud noise coming from a news helicopter circling above the encampment and intermittent chanting.
Thursday’s program at UCI consists of speakers, prayers, teach-ins, arts and crafts and chanting throughout the day, said Sarah Khalil, a student organizer.
Throughout the day Thursday, more tents were pitched at Chapman University and about several dozen people, mostly students, were within the encampment’s perimeter in front of Wilkinson Hall. There was limited visible campus security presence.
“Chapman University supports students’ rights to peacefully demonstrate their beliefs. Chapman University has a student conduct policy that we expect all within our community to uphold,” a university spokesperson said in an email. “The students taking part in the protest have developed a registration procedure to ensure that anyone staying overnight in the encampment is a Chapman student.”
The students and protesters at the two Orange County universities had a common theme to their demands – in line with the calls that have been repeated in the pro-Palestinian movement at campuses across the nation. They are calling for their schools to divest from businesses with ties to Israel and weapon manufacturers.
At Chapman demands include the university calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and increased protection of Palestinian, Muslim and Arab students. Students also want UCI officials to grant amnesty for…
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