UC Santa Barbara students host Pro-Palestine demonstration

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - More than 150 students organized a pro-Palestine demonstration in the university's student resource building Thursday morning. This demonstration is in support of the other pro-Palestine demonstrations happening on college campuses around the country.

The UCSB Students for Justice in Palestine posted on Instagram a poster that reads, "Shut it Down; From Columbia to UC Santa Barbara."

The UCSB demonstration follows mass arrests of demonstrators at University of Southern California in Los Angeles and some East Coast universities.

Organizers reposted a tweet from UCSB Divest which said, "UCSB Divest calls upon the people of this university to join us immediately in a day of teach-ins, free food, art builds, workshops and more for the establishment of the popular university— to create a counter-space on campus, asserting our willingness and undeniable ability to dismantle the system itself through a critical mass of students, faculty, and staff who choose Palestinian liberation over maintaining their university’s legitimacy. There will be no business as usual or normalcy as we fund a genocide."

The UCSB Students for Justice in Palestine issued the following a statement back in December, "We are not scared. We will not give up. We are steadfast. We are strong and mighty. We are here, together as one. We resist. In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians."

UCSB's Justice for Palestine is urging people call for the resignation of UC Regents Chair Richard Leib. The group says Leib has made "deeply disturbing, homophobic, and racists social media" posts. The group is also asking for the condemnation of the UC Board of Regents Statement on Mideast Violence. The group says the whole UC system is "complicit in the genocide, ethnic cleansing, and occupation of the Palestinian people." 

Students at the demonstration did not provide a comment with News Channel and some tried to block our news cameras.

Santa Barbara Hillel, the local Jewish organization for UCSB students, released the following statement in regards to Thursday's Pro-Palestine demonstration:

This is just the latest attempt by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) to divide the UCSB student community using exclusionary tactics and tired slogans that deny the history of the Jewish people. We expect the UCSB administration to ensure that public spaces continue to be open and accessible for all students. As the Jewish student center at UCSB, Hillel is here to support Jewish students and stand up for their right to participate fully in campus life.

Your News Channel has reached out to a teacher involved with Thursday's demonstration and UC Santa Barbara for comment but have not yet heard back.