Thousands of people “walkout” at UC Santa Barbara in protest of the siege on Gaza

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— A campus-wide walkout took place at UC Santa Barbara Wednesday afternoon.

Over a thousand students, faculty, and community members peacefully demonstrated to raise awareness about the tragedy unfolding in the Gaza Strip. 
 
Chants of “Gaza, Gaza don’t you cry. We will never let you die.” echoed throughout the campus.
 
Protestors say solidarity here transcends race and age, and seeing the large number of supporters gives them hope that they have the power to end the humanitarian crisis overseas. 
 
“Everything is connected. My liberation is about whether liberation and all the other channels around the world… We're in a new era with like social media and there's way harder for the system or the people in power to control the narrative… This is a new generation of people that are learning about the plight of Palestinians and realizing with extreme injustices and if any social change is going to come from this to be from the youth, not from our leaders,” says Alex Chabbott, who lives in Santa Barbara.
 
Activists say a walkout draws attention to their cause, by interfering with commerce.
 
“The importance of a walkout is to cause disruption, to change things that are happening, to bring attention to things that maybe others wouldn't. Here on campus, you can see people sitting, enjoying the sun. But when they see us coming through, I think it sparks a curiosity for them to learn more and become involved. And that's really why we wanted to do this here,” says Veronica Rios, who lives in Santa Barbara.
 
Demonstrators chanted slogans in support of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
  
They also called on UC Santa Barbara to stop investing in companies that manufacture weapons and arms used by Israel against Palestinians.
 
No counter protestors organized during the walkout.