Students at the University of California-Berkeley are joining protests happening around the country against Israel. They started a sit-in by occupying part of the campus on Monday.
A group called UCB Divest is leading the protest. They’re asking people to join them and say it’s the first protest of this kind on the West Coast. They’re calling the occupied area Sproul Plaza.
The group posted on social media asking for people to come every night this week to support them.
The protest organisers say they’re setting up camp in support of other students who were arrested at protests. They want the university to stop investing in companies that make weapons for Israel and to protect Palestinian students on campus. They also called for an end to the violence.
The group says they’re prepared to be arrested, but there were no arrests on Monday, and the protest was peaceful.
The university says they know about the protest but won’t change their investments. Their priority is keeping classes on schedule, and they’ll take action if the protest disrupts things.
This follows a statement from the White House condemning violence against Jewish people. They said antisemitism has no place on campuses, and they’ll work to protect Jewish communities.
These protests started at Ivy League schools and spread to others. Over 100 people were arrested at Columbia, and they switched to online classes for the rest of the year.
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