Aaron He is a professor in the psychology department at the University of California, San Diego, and lives in North Park. Ortony He is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, San Diego, and lives in North County.
We are professors at the University of California, San Diego, along with over 450 of our colleagues who condemn the authorities’ violent removal of a peaceful encampment on May 6. Recently, we have attempted to submit two petitions to the Provost’s Office (one San Diego Teachers Associationand the other one is Teacher Testimony Group We demanded that the charges and academic retaliation against those arrested be dropped. Access Denied It was delivered to his building, but he has not received any physical or electronic confirmation of delivery.
Authorities claimed the encampment was unsafe, but in fact it was the exact opposite: it occupied little-used lawns, did not block pedestrian traffic, and remained completely peaceful in the face of counter-protests for five days.
The students who participated in the camp something After witnessing seven months of Israeli attacks on Gaza, largely Planes and helicopters, largely The bombs and shells are manufactured in the United States. Almost fully funded It is paid for by the U.S. taxpayer. In solidarity with students across the nation, our students demand that UC San Diego condemn the enormous loss and destruction of civilian life, divest from companies implicated in Israeli abuses, and sever academic ties with Israeli institutions.
The camp took place after university officials ignored more public protests such as marches and student government resolutions. Ultimately, students joined respected traditions such as camps established in opposition to apartheid in South Africa and the Vietnam War. In fact, the recently deceased San Diego legend Bill Walton I attended such a camp in 1972 at UCLA.
We recognize the courage of our students. As Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi put it:This is the conscience of the nation, [our] The kids.“It wasn’t easy for them to keep up with classes, endure threats of punishment from the university and harassment from opponents while speaking their consciences.”
We proudly support our students and share their anger. Moreover, our Jewish tradition connects us to a great tradition of opposition.To stand on the side of the oppressed, not the modern-day pharaohs.“Indeed, many others who have signed these petitions are Jewish. Many of the student protesters are also Jewish. They, along with thousands of Jews in the United States, including Holocaust survivors and their children, are appalled by the collective punishment being indiscriminately imposed on Palestinians and the destruction of all of Gaza’s institutions of higher education. At the same time, we share the pain of the atrocities committed against Israeli civilians and our desperation to free the hostages.”
We reject any claims dismissing this encampment as anti-Semitic. We recognize that anti-Semitism is a real form of discrimination that harms our community, and we reject the premise that criticism of the State of Israel and its actions is inherently anti-Semitic. We reject the idea that this encampment was intended to create a hostile environment for Jewish people. We suggest that those who argue otherwise distinguish between “feeling unsafe” (because of statements one does not want to hear) and “being unsafe” (such as encountering the possibility of physical or economic violence).
On May 6, the president closed the entire campus. Hundreds of police officers They confronted students with batons, pepper spray, and firearms. Such force is only justified if other options have been exhausted, which was not the case. We saw lines of communication open between university administration and student leaders, campus police and student leaders, and faculty and student leaders. The president justified his actions in part by citing concerns for student safety. Health and Safety Of the camp, but these could have been resolved. And if there was power Must When to use Campus Policy Already, the level of force has been stipulated to be consistent with that of civil disobedience. Yet here we see a peaceful encampment. The violent dismantling of this encampment stands in stark contrast to the school: brown, The two parties were dissolved after the administration negotiated over their demands.
Our students are the conscience of our nation, acting to stop this U.S.-backed onslaught and end the long-standing dispossession of Palestinian land. University of California union strike We encourage you to do so.
