SANTA CRUZ >> Like students at college campuses across the state and the country, hundreds of UC Santa Cruz students gathered in Quarry Plaza on the university’s campus around noon on May 1 and swiftly set up a pro-Palestine solidarity encampment. On May 31, a multi-agency force of police officers cleared the encampment and made about 100 arrests.

The students had gathered to highlight the deaths in the Israel-Hamas war, call for the liberation of the Palestinian people and demand that universities stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza.

At the time of the encampment, in early May, the Associated Press reported that nearly seven months of Israeli bombardment and ground offensives in Gaza had killed more than 34,500 Palestinians, according to local health officials. The war had driven around 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes, caused vast destruction in several towns and cities and pushed northern Gaza to the brink of famine.

The latest report from the Associated Press stated that health officials in the embattled territory said more than 45,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas militants, as of Dec. 16. They said 106,962 others have been wounded since the war began and warned that the true toll is higher because thousands of bodies are buried under rubble or in areas that medics cannot access.

When the UCSC-based camp formed in the spring, more than 2,000 protesters had already been arrested at universities across the U.S. including those at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, according to the Associated Press.

At the UCSC Quarry Plaza encampment in May, student-organized security members remained vigilant of the encampment’s perimeter and took note of everyone entering and leaving the gathering.

Despite the peaceful air of the camp at that time, the cafe and bookstore within the plaza were closed — with the decision to shut down Bay Tree Books occurring just before noon on the second day of the protest. UCSC campus security officers hovered around the outskirts of the encampment, but did not interfere with the gathering.

Assistant Vice Chancellor Scott Hernandez-Jason then told the Sentinel in a statement that the university supports free speech and is primarily concerned with students’ welfare.

“The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority,” said Hernandez-Jason. “We are actively monitoring this situation to support a campus environment that supports our community’s right to free expression while also allowing our teaching and research mission to continue.”

The UCSC encampment was organized by the local chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, which posted a list of specific demands on its social media page. The UCSC protesters stressed that the demands must be met before they will disperse.

The six demands, in short, called for the university to completely divest from weapon-manufacturing companies and to cease research collaborations with weapon manufacturing industries, and that instead UCSC should invest in its students and workers — and to disclose and provide full transparency of the University of California’s assets including investments, donations and grants.

The demand that has received the most public scrutiny is one calling for “a complete academic boycott,” which includes “cutting ties UC wide with all Zionist institutions — including study abroad programs, fellowships, seminars, research collaborations and universities. Cut ties with the Helen Diller foundation, Koret foundation, Israel institute, and Hillel International. Comply with BDS (boycott, divestment, sanction), as according to the BDS National Committee, within all University operations. Universities should not be working with universities which are complicit and benefit from genocide.”

The local chapter of Hillel International, Santa Cruz Hillel, published a statement about the encampment on its social media pages stating that, “We respect students’ right to protest about causes they care deeply about and know Jewish students on campus have different feelings regarding this protest.”

The statement concludes, “we are deeply concerned that the protesters’ demands include a UC-wide boycott of organizations that support Jewish studies, Jewish life, and address campus climate and antisemitism.”

“Many people are confusing Hillel International with the individual Hillels,” said the encampment’s media liaison Savvy Lane in May. “Hillel International is a major Zionist organization that is pro-student suppression and anti-BDS (boycott, divestment, sanction). As long as we have ties to Hillel International here we cannot have BDS. We are not trying to eliminate safe space for Jewish people. We just think there should be safe spaces for Jewish people that also do not condone genocide.”

Later that month, the encampment relocated to the base of the UC Santa Cruz campus. On one side of Coolidge Drive, the pro-Palestine encampment stood and on the other side, union student workers, researchers and postdocs were gathered for the stand-up strike organized by UAW Local 4811.

According to the UAW Local 4811 website, the strike was authorized because, “When faced with Palestine Solidarity encampments and other nonviolent protests by academic workers, students, and community members, UC has mishandled and escalated the situation by taking unlawful actions that cut to the heart of our collective bargaining agreements. Our union has filed unfair labor practice charges in response.”

The charges include “actively risking the health and safety of UAW 4811 members and members of the university community by allowing violent attacks on peaceful pro-Palestine protesters, both by violent anti-Palestine agitators and by police,” and “disciplining employees for engaging in peaceful protest activity demanding work-place related changes,” among others.

The university had moved to remote instruction the final week of May and most academic buildings were locked.

“The protest disruptions at and inside our main and west entrances Monday drove our decision to switch to remote instruction, first for Monday and subsequently for Tuesday and Wednesday,” UCSC officials said in a statement. “We had no plans based on any announced actions to switch to remote prior to the actual blockage of the road and entrances.”

Around 4 a.m. May 31, hundreds of police officers from departments across the state from Eureka to San Francisco and Watsonville moved in and surrounded the Palestine solidarity encampment. Demonstrators were lit up by portable light towers brought in by authorities and ordered by police to disperse the encampment.

Many left, but some refused. After a few hours, officers corralled the steadfast demonstrators into the nearby intersection and began to make arrests. Demonstrators were detained and put in police vehicles and UCSC transit buses, or TAPS buses, where they were held. A UCSC spokesperson told the Sentinel that approximately 80 arrests were made that day.

UCSC Assistant Vice Chancellor for Communications and Marketing Scott Hernandez-Jason told the Sentinel in a statement that because of the continued blockade of the university’s entrances, “UC Santa Cruz took action to remove the barricades and disband the unlawful encampment. Those actions started early this morning.”

Hernandez-Jason said that demonstrators “were given repeated, clear direction to remove the encampment and cease blocking access to numerous campus resources and to the campus itself. They were notified that their actions were unlawful and unsafe. And this morning they were also given multiple warnings by law enforcement to leave the area and disperse to avoid arrest. Unfortunately, many refused to follow this directive and many individuals are being arrested.”

Around 9 a.m. Friday, Santa Cruz police had formed a roadblock about a quarter mile in each direction from the base of campus where demonstrators formed a line on High Street opposite the police.

The gathering of both police and protesters grew throughout the afternoon, and after a cleanup crew hauled off the last remnants of the Palestine solidarity encampment, police from the multi-agency force filled the former encampment space with about 30 police vehicles and transformed it into a staging area.

Throughout the morning, demonstrators taunted police with condescending chants between songs expressing support with Palestinians. Two of the demonstrators, UCSC students Brooklynn Baker and Cat Comella, were walking up the line of officers and asking them if they had anything to say about the standoff.

“I’ve got three responses: one said sorry, and another one said, it’s the morning, and another said, you lost,” said Baker. “They’re trying to stop us from getting the word out about Palestine and now they’re brutalizing us. It’s really hard to swallow when you’re trying to do the right thing and everyone is against you. And there doesn’t have to be this many officers. I have never seen this many officers in one place. It’s just disappointing that our school would even allow this to happen.”

University of California President Michael V. Drake released a statement later in the afternoon May 31 that said he was in support of the action to clear out the encampment and demonstrators.

“Much of the behavior we have seen displayed by protesters over the past week has been dangerous and illegal, and it has left many members of our community understandably frustrated and fearful,” Drake continued. “I support the campus and Chancellor Larive in taking the necessary steps this morning to begin clearing campus entrances and exits and restoring and maintaining free access to campus for all members of the community. The situation on campus remains fluid and we will continue to offer support and resources to UC Santa Cruz leaders during this difficult period.”

The encampment never reformed after it was cleared. Following the incident, a Sentinel report found that the university’s crime log listed 119 arrests on suspicion of crimes ranging from being drunk in public and refusing to disperse to remaining at the scene of a riot and resisting arrest. The Sentinel found that Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office has not yet criminally charged individuals in the case, though the statute of limitations extends out a year, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Tara George and a first court hearing in the case is scheduled for Jan. 7.