Braving the rain today are the 20 or so anti-war activists who’ve been camped out on Sonoma State University’s “Person Lawn” for more than a week now — part of a global movement where students are “occupying” their college campuses as a way to protest Israel’s war in Gaza, as well as the involvement of their own nation and/or university. A protest-camp organizer at Sonoma State tells me they put tarps over all their tents and valuables last night, so they’ve been faring OK in the weather so far. If you want to support them, they created a Google doc with all the donations they could use, like “nutrient-rich foods” and umbrellas for both sun and rain. “As the encampment grows bigger and stronger, we continue to be inspired and fueled by all the community support,” they write in the doc. Protesters have they won’t budge until school officials “recognize Palestinian identity in academics, as with other ethnic and racial groups; agree to an academic boycott that would shut down study-abroad programs linked to Israel; and call for a permanent and immediate cease-fire,” according to the Press Democrat. While encampments at other California campuses like UCLA and UC Berkeley have been dismantled by police or attacked by violent counter-protesters, the scene at Sonoma State has been pretty peaceful. The main tension so far has been that the head of the university, President Mike Lee, wrote a public letter accusing protesters of anti-Semitism early on. “Some of the messages written in chalk on the sidewalk in front of the encampment are disturbing,” he said last Monday. In a response statement, one of the camp organizers denied this claim — then admonished the school president for “putting the students in harm’s way” by “opening them up to harassment and even violence.” The organizer encouraged anyone with differing views “to go speak with the students in the encampment and you will find they pose no threat, even if you remain on opposing sides.” By Thursday, President Lee did just that, according to the PD. “I went to go in and make sure that they are safe and healthy,” he told the paper. “I also let them know that their message is very, very loud and clear. I heard it. We have heard it.” However: He said some of their demands, like divestment, may be tough to meet, as SSU is one of 23 California State University campuses — so certain matters “would need to be dealt with at a higher level.” Meanwhile, the war in Gaza is about to hit the six-month mark on May 7; Israel has reportedly killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians in that time, as a response to an Oct. 7 attack from Gaza militants, during which they killed around 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds more as hostages. The anti-war movement here in the U.S. argues that Israel’s response has been outsized and inhumane, making Gaza essentially unlivable and starting a famine. Up until last month, the main tactic of our local anti-war movement had been to persuade small government entities to adopt ceasefire resolutions, in hopes of setting off a chain reaction up to the highest levels of government (aka, the White House). But that’s been an uphill battle; here in the wine country, only the City of Cotati has made the move. So in recent weeks, street protests have been ramping up in the North Bay and Bay Area — along with the rest of the nation and world — and now we’ve got these tent encampments, like the one at SSU. There was also some action in the form of a daytime protest 10 miles north at the Santa Rosa Junior College campus on Thursday, which drew a crowd of at least 200, according to the PD. President Biden did finally address the campus movement yesterday, urging protesters to resist causing “chaos” and ultimately saying their actions won’t affect his foreign policy. (Source: Sonoma State University & KRCB & Press Democrat & Press Democrat & Press Democrat & Sonoma County for Palestine via Facebook & SSU Students for Justice in Palestine via Instagram & SF Chronicle & LA Times & Desert Sun & Counterpunch & NPR)
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