Students from UC Merced plan to support nationwide Gaza protests by writing letters to university officials

by Rachel Livinal l April 26, 2024

Some students at University of California Merced are joining protestors nationwide in demanding universities to divest from companies that support Israel in the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

Students at the only UC campus in the San Joaquin Valley are planning to support the movement by writing letters to UC officials, according to Jeneen Barakat, a student who has led pro-Palestine efforts on the campus. 

“This campaign is to address student concerns of where their money is going,” Barakat told KVPR and The Merced FOCUS. 

Barakat said the letters will touch on other concerns students have, such as support for undocumented students and student housing. 

The latest campus protests over the war in the Middle East erupted last week at Columbia University where more than 100 arrests were made. 

Students this week took over areas of the university with tent camps, and planned to not leave until their demands were met. Palestinian protesters are demanding universities to separate themselves from any war efforts involving Israel or in some cases, Israel itself. 

The Associated Press reported protestors want universities to stop doing business with military weapons manufacturers who supply arms to Israel and be more transparent about money received from Israel and what it’s used for.

Major universities taking part in on-campus demonstrations include UC Berkeley, Cal Poly Humboldt, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Valley demonstrations smaller than elsewhere, but vocal

On Wednesday, the University of Southern California campus was shut down by protests where police were called in to disperse crowds. Cal Poly Humboldt was also shut down Monday after demonstrators occupied buildings on the campus. 

All of the anti-war demonstrations at UC Merced and the surrounding community have been smaller, but students at the campus have been vocal over the war in Gaza. 

The university’s student government passed a resolution in January that called for divestment from Israel and more education surrounding anti-Muslim and antisemitism behavior on campus. The resolution also labeled the war as a “genocide.”

Protestors in recent months called on the Merced City Council to pass a resolution in support of a ceasefire in Gaza. Although that request was turned down by Merced leaders, weeks later the Madera City Council unanimously supported a ceasefire resolution. 

The group of protesters at UC Merced also released a banner during Bobcat Day on Saturday, an event for admitted and prospective students to learn more about the campus. 

Campus protests began after the militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7. 

Hamas killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages, including Americans. Israel responded swiftly with an ongoing military campaign that has left more 34,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. 

While the death toll doesn’t distinguish between those who are part of Hamas and those who are not, the ministry says at least two thirds of the dead are women and children.