Encampment builds as Cal State LA students rally for Palestine on May Day
Student organizers said the "emergency mobilization" rally was planned specifically for May Day, honoring labor struggles and advancement, also known as International Workers' Day.
Waving signs, flags and chanting, hundreds of vocal students joined a pro-Palestine rally on Cal State L.A.’s campus on Wednesday, May 1.
The demonstration started midday in front of the Golden Eagle statue, outside the student bookstore in the center of campus, as students were preparing for final exams next week.
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Organizers from different student groups said the “emergency mobilization” rally was planned specifically for May Day, a day honoring labor struggles and advancement also known as International Workers’ Day. On Instagram, they called the demonstration “May Day for Palestine,” and said that May Day emphasizes “the connection between the working class and Palestine.”
“We are standing in solidarity with our peers at Columbia, UCLA, USC and dozens of other campuses protesting our complicity in the horrendous attack on Palestine!” the students shared Wednesday, announcing their encampment set-up outside of the physical education building.
“Palestinian workers have issued a call to their fellow international worker community to halting the production of weapons worldwide and to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine,” the organizers wrote. “Fighting for the end of the exploration of workers is critically important, especially because many workers are producing labor for companies that are perpetuating genocides and the killing and surveillance of oppressed and marginalized populations.”
In their demands, Students for Justice in Palestine at Cal State LA called for officials to “divest from the military industrial complex and the “genocidal Zionist regime, Israel,” in hopes of building “a People’s University.”
In speeches made at the rally, the students demanded a “complete divestment” from companies they say “fund money to the genocide.”
They also demanded a disclosure of their schools’ investments, and a list of what Cal State LA spends from students’ tuition.
“Students do not want to partake in that genocide,” said a liaison with the Cal State LA chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine at the rally. “And we’re gonna be here as long as we need to until admin considers our negotiations.”
Many student protesters would not identify themselves, citing safety concerns and fears of reprisals.
BREAKING: #CalStateLA pro-Palestine protestors are setting up an encampment pic.twitter.com/05bOLHn15U
— Victoria Ivie (@vwritesap) May 1, 2024
Just after 2 p.m., around 300 students marched from the campus bookstore to the nearby Billie Jean King statue, which had a Palestine flag zip-tied onto it. A small encampment with 15 tents was set up on the grass outside of the school’s physical education building. An orange plastic barrier, bolstered by chairs, surrounded the participants.
Amal Najjar, a Muslim student in her last semester at Cal State LA, participated in Wednesday’s rally. Najjar, a women’s gender and sexuality studies major, called activism a “social responsibility.”
“There’s not a single college left in Gaza so I’m doing this for all the people that were on their way to getting an education or never will get the chance to do so,” Najjar, 35, said. “Organizing is the least that we can do to honor people that have lost their lives,” she said. “It’s beautiful to see so many people representing anti-genocide, anti-settler colonization, everything.”
After 5 p.m., the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” was still present, but the area was calm. Students chanted and played music outside, as others still attended classes. There were no signs of police or counter-protestors.
In a statement late Wednesday, a university spokesperson said that Cal State LA “respects and supports free speech and the right of students and other individuals to assemble peacefully, protest, and have their voices heard.”
“Protests are nothing new among campuses and are an encouraging sign that our students are engaged citizens who understand the power of activism and civic engagement to affect change. Free speech is the cornerstone of our democracy and a core tenet that all universities and colleges must uphold, as we do here at Cal State LA,” the statement continued.
According to campus policy, any vandalism, theft, destruction of state property or intimidation of targeted groups — including other students and university faculty and staff — will not be tolerated “for the safety of everyone on our campus,” the spokesperson said.
“We will monitor the situation closely but again our priority is the safety of our students, faculty and staff,” the statement said.