Pro-Hamas activists finally end UC Davis encampment after 6 weeks without demands met
After protesting for six weeks of demonstrations on the quad at the University of California, Davis campus, pro-Palestine activists have finally ended their encampment.
After protesting for six weeks of demonstrations on the quad at the University of California, Davis campus, pro-Palestine activists have finally ended their encampment.
The occupation began with around 20 tents on May 6, as noted by The Sacramento Bee. The protesters were not able to reach an agreement with UC Davis regarding their demands, which included university divestment from companies with ties to Israel.
The pro-Palestine protesters, who called themselves the “Davis Popular University for the Liberation of Palestine,” or PULP, held a press conference on June 19 before taking down the encampment, according to The Davis Enterprise.
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A PULP spokesperson, Ph.D. candidate Beshara Kehdi, criticized the University of California’s Office of the President (UCOP) for attempting to prohibit “UC Davis from putting any agreement in writing, for fear of setting an example for protest movements at other UC schools in the future.” Kehdi described UCOP as being controlled by “private elite Zionist hands.”
“UCOP’s authoritarian mission of resting control of this public university is out of local hands: the facade of this institution has cracked and revealed again the undemocratic rule over the UC by private elite Zionist hands that we call the Regents,” Kehdi said.
PULP had a number of demands that it wanted the university administration to agree to, including “Disclose and Divest,” “Total Academic and Cultural Boycott” from Israel, and “Invest in Palestine, Arab American and Ethnic Studies.”
“It’s a betrayal,” Kehdi stated about the lack of an agreement between the pro-Palestine demonstrators and the administration. “It’s a betrayal of students — disappointment doesn’t express how devastated students in this campus are.”
The Chancellor of UC Davis, Gary May, released a statement on June 20 about the removal of the encampment.
“Today, members of the Davis Popular University for the Liberation of Palestine, or PULP, student-led group completed the voluntary removal of their encampment, including tents, fencing and other materials,” May said.
Chancellor May continued to detail how the university met with protesters to discuss their demands and intends to continue to discuss their requests, even now that the encampment has been removed.
“Since the encampment began May 6, university officials have met with encampment leaders several times to listen and engage in dialogue about the group’s concerns,” May explained. “We remain committed to ongoing discussions with our students, transparency in university operations, and supporting students’ rights to express their viewpoints.”
Campus Reform has contacted the University of California, Davis for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
