Police clearing UC San Diego pro-Palestine protest
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — UC San Diego’s west campus operations are suspended as police are moving to clear the “Gaza Solidarity” encampment.
The protest entered its sixth day on Monday, remaining peaceful so far.
The university announced that the area from North Torrey Pines Road to Interstate 5 is an active scene.
Non-essential employees have been advised to move to remote operations, while essential employees have been directed to report to work as usual.
The university said all west campus facilities are closed Monday, while housing and dining remains open. Additionally, all events scheduled for on west campus are canceled.
Officers could be seen in riot gear as the sixth day of protest continues. Demonstrators are demanding that the university break off any ties with Israel.
NewsNation affiliate KUSI was at the scene, seeing some protestors being taken into police custody.
On Sunday night, signs were seen on the north and sounds ends of the encampment, informing students and student organizations that they will be held “fully accountable under the student code of conduct for any and all violations, including participating in encampments on campus.”
Photos of the signs were published by the Triton, UC San Diego’s student led news outlet.
In a message released Wednesday, university Chancellor Pradeep Khosla warned that “unauthorized encampments are strictly prohibited, and we must enforce our campus policies and the law for the safety and well-being of all members of our campus community.”
In a post on Instagram, Students for Justice in Palestine at UC San Diego, who helped organized the encampment, responded to the chancellor’s message, stating, “The UCSD Gaze Solidarity encampment is disappointed but not surprised by the Chancellor Khosla’s recent statement. Citing ‘safety concerns,’ the chancellor is demanding that the encampment disperse under threat of legal and police action. We reject the false narrative painted by Chancellor Khosla of the encampment being disruptive or potentially unsafe; the reality is that students have worked around the clock to maintain the safety and support of those involved.”
The demands of UC San Diego demonstrators echo those of other camp sites that have been erected at dozens of college campuses across the country over the last few weeks, including Columbia University, University of Southern California and UC Los Angeles.
These campuses have become ground zero for a larger reckoning over U.S. involvement in Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, stirring debates about free speech, protest, antisemitism and Islamophobia.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
FOX 5’s Danielle Dawson contributed to this report.