Last spring, in a movement partaken by college campuses across the country and globe, University of California Berkeley students and staff held a pro-Palestinian encampment protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and financial divestment from Israel, among other demands. However, protests of this nature could be restricted after UC President Michael V. Drake released a letter on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024 regarding UC policy on encampments and protesting.
In the letter, Drake instructed UC campuses to enact specific policies such as restricting protests that block pathways and the use of masks to shield identities. More specifically, overnight demonstrations such as encampments, overnight loitering, and setting up a tent without approval would be prohibited. Barricades, structures, and other unauthorized buildings would be banned from UC campuses. Drake wrote that masking would not be permitted “ … with the intent of intimidating and harassing any person or group, or for the purpose of evading or escaping discovery, recognition, or identification …” The letter also called for restrictions on actions like blocking doors and walkways.
Drake said there had been instances of violent protests, although most were non-violent. “Some of the activities we saw over the past year were not (nonviolent),” Drake said in his letter outlining the ban for the new school year. According to Harvard’s Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, only a couple dozen out of the thousands of pro-Palestine college protests resulted in property damage or harm to an officer or counter-protester.
According to the LA Times, one member of UC Irvine Divest named Nailah stated, “(The ban is) a clear violation of human rights and abilities to speak up on campus.” Additionally, Sarah Bacon, a UC Santa Barbara encampment member, asked, “If this was a different cause, would the reaction still be the same?”
Berkeleyside says that the plans are due by Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, and until then, the state will be saving $25 million from the UC fund.