On May 8th at noon, approximately a thousand students and supporters gathered for a march and rally at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) campus to express their support for Palestine, denounce the Gaza war, and criticize the university administration and law enforcement for clearing out a protest tent camp set up by demonstrators two days earlier.
The protest on May 6th, led by Palestinian supporters and organizations, was disbanded and removed by law enforcement agencies such as the California Highway Patrol and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, after nearly a week of ongoing anti-Gaza war and anti-US support for Israel demonstrations on the UCSD campus.
During the march and rally, protesters continued their demands from the past week, urging the university to divest its funds from companies supporting Israel. “Divestment” is a common demand in similar pro-Palestine protest actions at universities across the United States. Demonstrators at UCSD also called for the resignation of UCSD Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla.
In the operation to dismantle the tents on May 6th, authorities reported that 64 individuals were arrested but were later released the same evening. The university statement indicated that out of the 64 people detained, 40 were UCSD students, while the remaining 24 were either non-affiliated individuals or their identities were unconfirmed. The university also mentioned that the 40 student protesters would face disciplinary actions.
Out of approximately 3,800 UCSD faculty and staff members, around 200 signed a declaration demanding the university abstain from penalizing the arrested students. They expressed shock and anger in a public statement over the deployment of riot police to arrest protesters on May 6th, asserting that militarized responses only stifle freedom of speech, intensify tensions, undermine campus security, and erode the trust necessary for negotiations and shared governance.
The pro-Palestine demonstrations at UCSD began on May 1st, following similar actions at universities nationwide. Support for the Palestinian cause led to the establishment of tent camps on the campus grounds. In a statement on May 1st, Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla mentioned that camping on campus without approval violated university regulations.
Khosla emphasized that UCSD completely supports the right to peaceful protest and freedom of speech on campus. He stated, “Our focus remains on maintaining a safe campus environment free from discrimination and harassment and continuing our academic operations undisturbed. We urge all members of the campus community to treat each other with dignity and respect.”
Prior to the tent clearance, on May 5th, Khosla stated in another communication, “Shortly after the tents were set up, the university began communication with the participants… However, the participants violated the commitment not to expand the tent camp area, which had tripled in size. This tent camp posed an unacceptable danger to campus security.”
In early March, the UCSD student government passed a resolution calling for divestment, which did not receive approval from the university administration. In a statement on March 7th, the university mentioned that the resolution contradicted UCSD’s stance, which like the University of California system and nine other campuses, has consistently opposed calls for boycotts and divestment from Israel.